Pausing The Flow
by EX3451
Summary: Beast Boy failed. The Brotherhood won. The Titans all perished, except for one. Now alone in the world, Beast Boy receives an offer from an unlikely source, giving him a chance to right all the wrongs that have occurred. Now, in order to save his friends, Beast Boy will have to relive all of his battles, but this time as a much stronger superhero. BBRae and RobStar
1. Prologue

Alright, I feel like absolute shit. Sorry for being dead for a while.

So, the poll I had up on my profile ended up a three way tie, which is pretty impressive seeing as it had three options. So in the end I messaged a friend I have on FF (they wanted to remain anonymous, don't ask me why), and they chose this story for me to start.

Which is awesome, because this was the one I wanted to do originally.

Also, it has come to my attention that I leave a massive amount of A/Ns on basically every new chapter. I'm sorry about that, and I'll try to cut back on them.

So, without further ado, I present to you...

'Drumroll.'

**Pausing The Flow!**

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans is the property of DC, I think. Not like I research this shit.**

**XxX**

_Prologue_

It wasn't supposed to end like this.

He'd had countless plans, numerous strategies! Idea after idea, all orbiting the original problem that had cast a shadow over his life ever since he had met and joined the Doom Patrol! One that he was probably destined to face, ever since his parents went over that waterfall.

It wouldn't have been easy. No, nothing was ever easy these days. He knew that, everyone did. Sure, he wasn't renowned for his intelligence... or quick thinking... or thinking. But he still had a job to do. An obligation as a superhero. And he took those kinds of things seriously.

He had to. Because if he didn't, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow.

So _why_, after all the thinking, the planning, the carefully thought out counter-attacking, had it ended like _this_?

He'd had a team assembled. A rag-tag group of survivors, who had been seconds from walking away, and never looking back. Sure. He acknowledged that. He hadn't been much better at that point. He'd been caught in his own exploding chunk of the T-Ship, after all.

Soon enough, complications had arisen, as they were expected to. Ranging from that fact that Mas was more or less useless without his brother, to the fact that none of them actually knew what the fuck it was that Jericho could actually do. Panther was more manly than the other four put together, and Herald's weapon made him about look as though he were waiting for the bus to band-camp, rather than about to engage in an all out brawl between the forces of good and evil. Even so, there was no doubt left in any of their minds at that point.

They were the Teen Titans now.

The world was depending on them.

And they failed.

Their plan was simple. Storm the Brotherhood of Evil's base, take them by surprise, and free their friends. Maybe along the way, they would defeat any villain they came across, thus making their inevitable escape all the easier.

The first part had gone off without a hitch. Cinderblock, being about as graceful as a drunken rhinoceros, had easily fallen in battle against the teenage team. His memories had allowed them access to the hidden base of Beast Boy's greatest enemies, the place where their friends were being held captive, never to see the sunlight again.

All according to plan.

They had managed to sneak their way in, using the front door no less. Four of them posing as unconscious victims, the fifth safely hidden away, slowly guiding them towards what would be the greatest fight of their young lives.

All according to plan.

They had come across a small squad of guards, consisting of enemies that at least one of them had taken on at some point in time.

Not exactly according to plan, but a little detour never hurt anyone.

Defeating them with ease, the group of heroic children continued on their path, albeit no longer having anything to guide them. It seemed as though Mas' connection with Menos had been severed. Hopefully nothing bad had happened to the small Hispanic boy.

Well, nothing WORSE.

Hurrying along, the small group of improvised freedom fighters surged forward, wasting no time in both locating, and slamming their way right through to the heart of the base; the current location of the Brotherhood of Evil.

This was it.

It was all or nothing.

All according to plan.

Unfortunately for the heroes, it was also the exact moment that everything turned to shit.

The very second those massive doors were forced from their hinges, an explosion big enough to knock an entire building out of the ground was set off, right above their heads. Thankfully, Herald's quick thinking, and even quicker reflexes, allowed him to pull his horn from his belt. Throwing his head back to face the incoming shrapnel and debris, he blew for all he was worth, ripping a small hole in the space between his temporary team and the landslide of pain that was hauling ass right down towards them.

Effectively shielding his team, Herald had raised his horn again, this time aiming towards the massive crowd of evil-doers that had been situated in the center of the spacious room. With the amount of explosive force that had been behind that bomb, there was sure to be a lot of destruction. Maybe enough to turn the tables on the villainous organization.

Hopefully it wouldn't kill them.

Too bad he never got the chance to test the that theory.

Before he could let out his stored up breath, something that looked suspiciously like a small dagger was whistling through the air, cutting through the skin on his arm as though it were paper. Herald had hissed in pain, rotating his arm up as quickly as he could to avoid further injury.

None of them had realised how big a mistake he'd just made.

While definitely not a musical note, the small hiss of pain that Herald had emitted was easily picked up by the wondrous instrument that was still currently being held up to his mouth. Without a moments hesitation, the faithful trumpet emitted a small, pathetic squeak, opening up a hole in space, allowing the massive landslide of recently destroyed evil-villain-base to topple out of whatever pocket dimension it had been stored in.

Right on top of the captured and frozen Titans in the back of the room.

Almost comically, everybody in the room -hero and villain alike- had whipped their heads around in unison, just in time to watch as the giant tidal wave of ruined construction crashed down on top of their friends/captives.

They could hear more than one statue shattering.

Every single eye in the underground hide-out had simultaneously widened, before shouts of glee erupted from the jubilant crowd in the middle of the room, completely drowning out the cries of despair from four individuals.

Half of the entire Titan network had been wiped out. In a single, unintentional blow. And from a comrade, no less.

All according to plan.

Without warning, The Brain's metallic voice had cut right through the celebratory shouts of the many present baddies, ceasing them almost immediately. He was calling for one thing, the only thing he had ever desired after the incident that robbed him of his body.

He wanted the world in his hands...uh, jar. And he wanted all resistance crushed.

Time passed in a blur for all. In amongst the flurry of fists, weapons and various projectiles, every single combatant in the room knew what was happening.

This was no longer an organised assault against a tyrant and his lackeys.

This was desperate skirmish for survival.

One that the heroes were losing badly.

After a while, reinforcements had showed up, more than ready to turn the tables on the heinous quartet and their numerous henchmen. The battle began anew, the field being whittled down steadily on both sides.

It wouldn't change anything, though. The Brain always had his plans.

Both sides were hurting. With the loss of every captured Titan, along with every injury that had been inflicted upon them in the clash, the Titans knew that the battle would have to be ended soon, if they were to have a chance of winning.

The same could be said for the villains, with many of their unconscious bodies littering the battle-field. Those who were still standing were all sporting various bruises and cuts, if not limping from opponent to opponent.

Luckily for them, they had home field advantage.

Beast Boy had been charging from the last enemy he had just defeated, when something large and solid had collided with his side. Sent careening through the air, he had slammed into the harsh, unforgiving concrete that made up the walls.

Too bad he had been the fortunate one.

As Beast Boy had enjoyed his brief flight, the rest of the still-alive Titans had all been locked in their own combat. They ducked, weaved, punched, kicked and bit, doing all in their power to emerge victorious.

None of them had realised that they were all being shepherded, towards the middle of the giant room in which the massive conflict was currently being fought in.

With an almighty unanimous shove, every single hero had found themselves in a massive pile of each other's bodies, sprawled along the floor and all over one-another. As they struggled to leap back to their feet, they failed to realise that all of their opponents had already left, sprinting as far away from the middle of the room as their tired bodies could manage.

What they didn't fail to see, however, was the floor beneath them give way, milliseconds before an enormous explosion ripped the area around them to pieces.

All according to the Brotherhood's plan.

As the dust had settled, a single green figure against the wall let out a low groan, before planting both of his hands on the ground. Struggling to his feet, Beast Boy coughed lightly, shaking away the small amount of rubble which had taken up refuge in his hair.

He'd heard the explosion.

He'd felt the shock-wave.

And now, he could smell the burning flesh.

Slowly, Beast Boy looked up, his eyes hesitantly scanning the expansive room.

The fighting had stopped. '_Did we win?'_

The smell was getting worse. _'What was that?'_

The villains were all silent. None were talking, some were hardly daring to breathe. Even from all the way across the room, Beast Boy could see that all their eyes were on the dead center of the room.

The only place that Beast Boy hadn't yet surveyed.

Silently gulping, Beast Boy had shifted his gaze, following every else's wide eyed stares. Some of the villains were already breaking out of their trances. All that had seemed to be either cheering or laughing joyfully.

Beast Boy could feel his own eyes widen as he took in the scene before him. Blood, limbs, organs. All having been thrown haphazardly across the room by the devastating explosion.

A sudden shout had invaded his ears, cutting Beast Boy's concentration on the gnarled remains. Apparently, some of the villains had realised that he was still breathing.

They had intended to correct that.

Seeing the enemy forces begin charging right towards him, Beast Boy spared another quick glance around the room, before doing the only thing he could.

He transformed.

And he ran.

**XxX**

_'Stupid stupid stupid stupid!'_

Beast Boy couldn't tell how long he had been running. It could have been a minute, or an hour. The world was passing as a blur to the green cheetah's eyes, as his feet pounded against the ground underneath him.

He didn't know where he was going.

He just needed to go. To move.

To stay alive.

_'Brain was right. Raven was right. Everyone was right!' _The green cat berated himself yet again, slamming briefly into a wall as he took a sharp right turn. _'Why did I ever think I could lead a team? Why did I ever think it would be a good idea to put me in charge?! I failed them all, and now they're gone! I can't do anything right!'_

Beast Boy took another sharp turn, barreling into yet another corridor. _'This place is a damn maze!' _He thought to himself, sneaking a quick glance over his shoulder. There was nobody behind him. It seemed as though all who had decided to pursue him had either given up or fallen behind.

Good.

Satisfied for the moment, Beast Boy turned back, almost running headfirst into yet another wall. Digging his claws into the concrete floor as best he could, he sprang to the left, shooting down into another almost abandoned hallway like a bullet.

Wait, almost abandoned?

Up ahead of him, Beast Boy could make out what looked to be a massive spider with four legs, along with something that resembled a walking brick. A massive walking brick.

Bad.

Thankfully for the green changeling, the two were facing the other way, allowing Beast Boy time to halt his advance. Digging his claws into the ground, Beast Boy tensed his muscles as hard as he could, applying as much pressure as he dared to his front paws. Gritting his teeth against the pain that his technique had just caused him, Beast Boy slid to a stop, a mere ten meters behind the villainous duo.

Good.

"Hey, moron." The spider like figure commented in a whiny, little girl voice, turning to look down upon his companion."Did you just hear somethin'?"

"The name's Mammoth, you midget." The telephone box answered gruffly, before stopping completely. "And now that you mention it, I did."

Together, the pair started to slowly turn around, almost as if they were trying to create an obvious air of tension.

Bad.

Sparing a quick glance to his side, Beast Boy almost cheered when he saw a door, camouflaged in against the wall. Not wasting any time, the green cheetah began to shrink, wings and another pair of legs sprouting out of it's body. It's fur disappeared into thin air, whilst it's eyes grew and compounded. It's mouth began shrinking, it's teeth sinking back into it's gums. Within the blink of an eye, a green fly was standing where the deadly feline had been, barely a second prior.

Good.

Beast Boy dived for the door, squirming his way underneath and out the other side. Behind him, he could still hear Gizmo and Mammoth, slowly making their way down the corridor.

"You see that?" Gizmo inquired, his high voice directly behind the door.

"No." Mammoth replied curtly, his footsteps passing the door completely. "Let's keep moving. We gotta find him."

"What's got you so blunt today?" Gizmo whined, the various gears of his machinery creaking as his robotic legs carried him down the hallway, following after his partner.

"You kiddin'?" Mammoth asked. Judging from his voice, Beast Boy would have guessed that Mammoth had already turned the corner that he had come from. "Madame Rude! That lady is scary!"

"You mean 'Rouge', dumbass?"

"Yeah, whatever. Shut up and search."

From behind the door, Beast Boy heard the sound of retreating footsteps. Waiting for them to disappear completely, he buzzed back to the ground, only morphing back when he was sure they'd left. Collapsing against the wall, Beast Boy put a hand to his heart, willing it to calm down.

The last thing he needed to do now was lose control.

Satisfied that his blood pressure had returned to normal, Beast Boy's hand left his chest, coming to rest on the top of his head. Leaning his back against the wall, he felt his legs give out underneath him, causing him to slowly slide down to the ground. The pain from slamming against the wall was still there, if not made stronger by his desperate escape. It felt as though Monsieur Mallah had used his back as a trampoline.

What he wouldn't give for some of Raven's healing power right n-

...Raven.

Beast Boy felt his entire body go limp, the hand that had been inhabiting his hair falling mutely to the ground.

How could he have forgotten? He was alone now! No Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven! Along with every other member of the Titans! All of his friends, taken out within minutes of one another.

Something wet fell from Beast Boy's face, splashing down silently on top of his fingers. Beast Boy instinctively swiped a hand across his cheek, giving it a slightly confused look as he drew it back to examine it.

Water. There was water on his hand.

Curious, Beast Boy rubbed his cheek with his other hand, getting the same results as he had seconds ago. Staring dumbly down at his own hands, Beast Boy struggled for a second, trying to think through the turmoil that his mind was in.

...Crying! That's it, he was crying.

Beast Boy could feel his eyes widen, before his face contorted in disgust. Jumping to his feet, Beast Boy brought both of his sleeves to his face, furiously wiping the tears away.

How dare he cry? After he had gotten his friends killed? He didn't get the right to cry! Why should he? They never would again...

Beast Boy could feel more tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, though he refused to let them fall. He would mourn later. After he had gotten backup, and completely destroyed the Brotherhood of Evil.

Yeah, that sounded like a good idea at the moment.

Smirking viciously, Beast Boy reached out for the door handle. Before he could grab it, however, an aged voice sounded from further in to the semi-dark room.

"Impressive, boy. I expected to find you in a puddle of tears."

Beast Boy whirled around, his body instinctively lowering closer to the ground. There, leaning against one of the many crates that decorated the room, was a villain that Beast Boy hadn't seen in a while.

"What are you doing here?" Beast Boy hissed, his eyes never leaving the golden clad figure before him. Warp merely uncrossed his arms, regarding Beast Boy with what appeared to be a bored expression.

"Relax, child." Warp said dismissively, taking a seat on top of a smaller crate, closer to the center of the room. "I didn't come here to battle you, I came here to help you. Besides, what do you mean, 'What am I doing here?'. What are you doing here?"

"Don't change the subject, Old Man." Beast Boy growled, though he straightened up never-the-less. Biting back a sigh of relief, Beast Boy stretched his back, wincing slightly as it cracked.

"You're injured." It wasn't a question so much as a statement.

"None of your business." Beast Boy muttered, slouching back against the wall. "Now I want to know why you're not attacking me."

Warp rolled his eyes, before fixing Beast Boy with a cold glare. "Don't get ahead of yourself, child. I offer you my assistance purely because it benefits me greatly."

"How so?"

Warp snorted impolitely. "I doubt you would understand even if I told you."

Beast Boy was beginning to lose his patience. Not that he had had much at the start of the conversation. "Try me."

Warp bit out a scathing laugh, his mouth twisting into a condescending smirk. "Alright, have it your way. What do you know about time-travel?"

"Not much." Beast Boy shrugged. "I've never really been interested."

"In that case, I'll make this as simple as possible." Warp stated, reaching into his armour. Beast Boy could feel his muscles tensing, though he managed to calm down when Warp withdrew nothing other than his own empty hand.

"Must have left it at home...oh well." He muttered to himself, before turning around to face Beast Boy. "Alright, what about the flow of time?"

"You mean minutes and seconds?" Beast Boy inquired. At Warp's encouraging nod, Beast Boy simply added in, "nothing."

Warp let his shoulders sink in a crestfallen way, before he raised his head again. "No matter. Alright, the first thing you need to know is that the flow of time, or the 'time stream', is very much alive. It works constantly, making sure that all imperfections of the past are dealt with, in order to keep the universe stable."

"OK."

"Whenever the past is tampered with, the future must also be altered in order to fit into the new context that has been laid out. Thus, every time I use my equipment, I must be careful not to do anything that would result in a major change. Otherwise, my entire existance could be wiped out in a second."

"Oooookay."

"Now is the important part, boy. When I went back in time in order to steal that clock, I failed. Correct?"

"Yeah, 'cos Star managed to-"

"Irrelevant." Warp interrupted, holding up a hand to silence the changeling. "Now, as I was saying. Think about this, boy. Where is that clock now?"

"Far as I know, it's exactly where you found it."

"Precisely!" Warp said sharply, snapping his fingers. "It is exactly where it was left. Now, answer me this. Why would I go back in time to a few months before now, in order to steal a clock that was destined to be taken, when I knew I would be met with resistance?"

"Uhhh..." Beast Boy mumbled, scratching his head. "Can you make the question...simpler?"

Warp groaned, slapping one hand to his forehead and dragging it down. "Alright. Let's put it this way. Why would I go back in time to a few months ago when there was a chance that I would be stopped, when I could have just taken it right after today?"

Beast Boy thought for a second, his hand rubbing back and forth across his chin. "Hmm...is it because you're a masochist?"

Warp coughed violently, almost falling off of his crate in the process. "Wha- no you fool! It's because I didn't know that today was going to happen!"

"Well, neither did I." Beast Boy supplied, his eyes slightly downcast.

"Yes, but which of us is the time traveler here?"

Beast Boy seemed to put some serious thought into his answer, as if he were afraid he would get it wrong.

"You?"

"Precisely. And that I why I am willing to help you, in order to help myself."

"So wait..." Beast Boy began, finally finding something he understood about the conversation. "You're sayin' that-"

"That no-one should have died today, and as such something as large as losing the entire Titan network could quite possibly change absolutely everything, even bringing an end to my existence? Yes, I am."

"Dude..." Beast Boy muttered, watching as Warp climbed down from the crate and tapped something on his chest. A strange portal, identical to the one that Starfire had once disappeared through, opened up in front of the aged thief, who proceeded to examine it.

"Yes...good...that's off by a few seconds..." Warp mumbled to himself, tapping a few buttons on his arm. Apparently satisfied, he nodded once, before looking back towards the stunned green changeling beside the door.

"This portal will send you back to a time where you shall be safe from the time stream. Sometime earlier than the forming of the Titans, I'm afraid. But it's the best I can do."

Beast Boy snapped out of his trance, nodding dumbly and stepping towards the portal. Right before he was about to step through, however, he froze, turning to face the older man beside him.

"You're sure this thing is safe?" He inquired, willing his voice not to squeak.

Warp nodded, before looking down at his arm. "The nature of the time stream is that anything that does not belong will be terminated. Therefore, going back in time would normally result in instant death. However, with my technology you will be protected."

Beast Boy nodded, until another thought struck him. "What about the me who's in the past?"

Warp looked away briefly, before locking eyes with the shape-shifter. There was a hint of some kind of emotion in his eyes, something that Beast Boy could not identify. It looked like...remorse?

"I'm afraid that the time stream will still destroy something. Given that there is no need for more than one of a person to exist at any one time, one of you will disappear. And because of the protection my equipment provides, you shall be taking the place of your past self."

To Warp's surprise, Beast Boy merely nodded, before stepping into the portal. He continued moving forward, until Warp called back to him.

"Remember, boy. Make sure you remember the Titan's achievements. You will have to make sure they are replicated if you are to succeed in saving everyone." He refrained from using the term 'me'.

Beast Boy stuck his head back through the portal, silently giggling at the look of shock on the older thief's face.

"Dude, this is weird." Beast Boy commented to himself, before raising his voice, along with his head, in order to speak to Warp.

"I will, thanks."

"Don't bother thanking me, child." Warp said, planting a hand on Beast Boy's face and pushing him backwards and out of sight. Right before the portal closed behind him completely, Warp bent over, positioning his mouth right before the tiny opening that was still left over.

"Make sure you don't screw up!" He called in, only to be met with silence. Sighing lightly, Warp straightened up, before casting a long glance around the room.

"Good luck, child." He muttered to himself, before opening another portal. Stepping through, he could still be heard muttering, all the way until the portal closed behind him completely.

"Please don't screw up, please don't screw up, please don't-"

**XxX**

Beast Boy slowly opened his eyes, blearily blinking the sleep away. Craning his neck, he did his best to take in his surroundings. After all, he hadn't remembered falling asleep.

He was in a room. A room with concrete walls, a soft bed, and toys spread out across the ground.

He was in his room. His old room.

He'd made it to the past. Though, this was what his room had looked like when he was twelve...

A loud knock, courtesy of whoever was now standing behind the door, tore the air apart, immediately snapping Beast Boy out of his thoughts. He quickly sat up, a task made rather difficult by the dull throbbing pain that still lingered in his back. Brushing aside a small bit of rubble, which had been dislodged from his hair by his sudden movement, Beast Boy put on the brightest smile he could manage.

"Come in!" He called, almost wincing at the sound of his own voice. It was almost...strained.

"Garfield?" The person, who Beast Boy could now identify as female, called back. The door began to swing open, just as Beast Boy had thrown the covers off of himself, standing up in the process.

Standing in the doorway was the one person in the world that Beast Boy could have honestly said he was close to, before the Titans, that is.

Though technically, this was before the Titans...oh well.

Beast Boy turned, with his brilliant smile, ready to greet his surrogate mother good morning. He paused, however, when he caught the look on her face.

"Garfield?" Elasti-Girl asked hesitantly, "what happened to you?"

Confused, Beast Boy looked at his mother with a raised eyebrow, before throwing a glance at the mirror that hung from the closet door, near the corner of the room.

He could immediately see the problem.

The top of his head was still coated in a fine layer of rubble, occasional flecks of dirt falling away, only to mix with some of the blood that was running, up until this point unnoticed, down both sides of his face. His lip was cut and badly bruised, and he had a thin cut, which was slowly oozing out blood, running from his temple, all the way down to his neck.

How hadn't he noticed them before?

Turning back to Elasti-Girl, Beast Boy yelped, almost falling back in surprise at his surrogate mother's sudden close proximate. Elasti-Girl slowly reached a hand out, grabbing a hold of Beast Boy's cheek. Rotating his head around, she examined one of the wounds near his hairline, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Garfield..." Rita mumbled, releasing the green boy from her grasp. "What happened to you, and why do you look...older?"

Beast Boy froze, his mind lighting up with enough swear words to make a sailor drunkenly cheer. He had completely forgotten that he would have to explain what had happened to the Doom Patrol. After all, as inept as Mento was at anything besides his basic goals, even he would notice the youngest member of his team suddenly growing a couple of years older, overnight no less.

"Uh...surprise?" Beast Boy tried weakly, averting his eyes from his teammates unnerving stare. There was no screaming, no crying, no ordering people around. Beast Boy had to admit, Elasti-Girl was taking this incredibly well.

...Or, she was, until she nodded, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, and collapsed, on her face, on the ground beside Beast Boy's bed.

Beast Boy winced as Elasti-Girl's head made contact with the concrete floor of his room, before quickly swooping down to see if she was OK. Picking up her prone form – she wasn't as heavy as Beast Boy thought she was, though he would never, EVER say that to her face - he carefully lay her down on his bed, sighing in relief as she took a deep breath.

As least she wasn't dead.

Not like everyone el-

Beast Boy shook himself, doing his best to clear that thought from his head. _'Stop it!' _He scolded himself, turning from the unconscious form of Elasti-Girl to glance at the mirror again. _'They're not dead, not right now. I've been given a chance to make things right, and I'm going to do it!'_

Ignoring the fact that he was making a vow in his own head, much like some of the less-sane people in the world would have, Beast Boy dramatically raised one arm to the sky, almost gagging as the stench that had originated from his armpit hit his nose, finally being released to the world. Throwing another look at the mirror, Beast Boy made a quick decision, before going to search through the drawer on the opposite side of the room.

He could talk to the Doom Patrol later.

Right now, he really needed a shower.

**XxX**

And so, the prologue/first chapter of my new fic is born. Yes, the gimmick this time is time travel. Not something that I see in many Teen Titan fanfics, though the conventional 'Beast Boy gets kicked off the team, then gets powerful, then comes back years later' idea is overused, and I'll be honest, tarnished slightly with some of the poorer excuses for literature out there. I've seen and read a few good ones, but unfortunately the key word in that sentence is 'few'.

There's not really much else to say, other than I've been sick for the last week, which is the _only _reason that I have managed to get this new fic out to the people. Now, what I'm about to tell you will no doubt piss people off, but I've built up a reputation of not really giving a damn, so I'll get over it.

Don't expect an update any sooner than a few months away. The reason for this is I am giving myself some time to write, so that when I update, I actually have a schedule. None of this 'update every other month' bullshit that up until this point has been my plan. That's just annoying for everyone. Especially me. Seriously, I have to listen to everyone's bitching. It's not fun if it's aimed at you, after all.

Alright, I've said all that is necessary for now. I'll see you all in a few months or so with the next chapter! So, until then...

Peace!

_**X**_


	2. Chapter 1 - Shooting Star

'Sup, bitches?

Yeah, this update happened a lot faster than I honestly thought it would. I'll put all that into the bottom A/N, because now I need to answer a question. But before I do, I'm gonna do a little bit of a rant.

Now, reviews are incredible. I love the things. Can't get enough of them. Also, asking questions within a review is fine. I'm happy to answer any questions, if the answer doesn't give away the plot. But please. If you're gonna ask a question, make sure you're logged into an account so that I can PM the answer to you. I don't want to have to put the answer within the actual story, because that will get very annoying, very quickly.

Now, like I said, asking questions is fine. But I will not answer any questions someone asks if they are not logged into an account. Sounds unfair? Too bad. Life's unfair, deal with it.

So, Mr or Mrs Guest, you're lucky. I'll make an exception this time, simply because you asked before the rule was implemented.

I'll only answer your first question, as the other two would require me giving away some of the plot.

As far as I see it, the original series took place over the course of several months, or maybe up to a year. This is my guess, purely because there is only ever one birthday mentioned, and the character design never changes in any way which would imply that the Titans have hit growth spurts. Nor do their voices change.

Now, given the facts, I can estimate that the Titans were together from anywhere between 5 to 10 months. Any longer would be illogical, as Beast Boy mentions after they save Robot Man that the Doom Patrol had been gone for 5 months. Now, he could have heard that anywhere, but given that it is implied that Beast Boy knew of their mission, and the fact that he is never seen interacting with the Doom Patrol before those episodes in any way, he must have been given information prior to leaving his old team. It would not make sense for them to plan attacks any further into the future than around 5 months, as the Brotherhood would be able to change their plans with ease given any more time. As such, I get to my estimate.

Now, with the issue of ages. We know that Raven is 15 at the start of the series, as she had her 16th birthday at the end of the 4th season. Assuming that both Robin and Starfire are 16, and Cyborg is older, we must now deduce Beast Boy's age.

Greg Cipes, the man who does the voice acting for Beast Boy, has mentioned in interviews that the green superhero is 14 years of age at the end of the series. As such, that would make his birthday either before the pilot episode, or after the series finale. Factoring in Warp sending him back in time to a bit more than a year before the Titans were first formed, we can assume that at least 13 months have passed since the Brotherhood incident. That would mean that Beast Boy, being anywhere between 14 years 1 month to 14 years 11 months old, would end up being 15 by the beginning of this chapter.

So, all in all, the ages for the Titans in this fic will be:

Robin: 16

Starfire: 16

Cyborg: 18

Raven: 15 turns 16

Beast Boy: 15 turns 16

And there is your answer. Can you see why I don't want to do this again? 'Cos if you can't then I don't even want you to review. Seriously, go back to school.

Alright, that's over and done with. So now, on with the show!  
**  
Disclaimer: Wish I owned time travel, then I could go back and create Teen Titans. Then they would be mine. ALL** **MINE!**

**XxX**

_Chapter one - Shooting Star_

"Come on, Garfield! I know you can move faster than that!"

Beast Boy ducked swiftly beneath yet another erratically thrown punch, before quickly darting forward to deliver one of his own.

"I could say the same thing about you, Cliff!" Beast Boy countered, grinning as his fist came into contact with the intelligent robot's metallic torso. Robot Man winced slightly, his eyes quickly darting towards the wall beside him.

Just as he feared, he'd lost yet another point.

"Wanna quit?" Beast Boy asked, smirking as Robot Man whipped his head back around to glare at him, "or you just wanna lose again?"

"Like hell, short stuff!" Robot Man yelled, cracking his large, prosthetic knuckles. "I was just getting started!"

"Give it up, Cliff."

"You too?" Robot Man asked in disbelief, spinning around to stare at the one who had spoken. Negative Man merely stared back, his expression unreadable beneath the bandages that adorned his face.

"Yes." Negative Man said simply, crossing his arms over the black and white umpire outfit that he had been forced to wear. "You have half as many points as Gar has, it's pointless to continue."

"Are you kiddin'?" Robot Man howled, throwing his arms up into the air. "I can easily beat his little green as-"

"Hey! I'm not the one who's been losing every single game!"

"In your dreams, shorty! I've been letting you win!"

"You've been letting me win a lot lately, Cliff. Maybe you're too kind?"

Negative Man brought a single hand to his face, the resulting slap breaking the two superheroes out of their argument.

"Why am I even here?" He asked, speaking through his fingers, glaring at the childish duo in front of him through the bandages wrapped around his head as he did so.

"Uh, because this game was your idea?" Beast Boy replied, throwing his arms out, gesturing towards the specially built room that they were currently situated in.

Negative Man groaned, before pushing a button on the wall beside him. On the other side of the room, a large television screen lit up, a 3D diagram of both Beast Boy and Robot Man appearing. The pictures slowly started to rotate, at the exact same time as a giant flashing banner, labelled 'WINNER', plastered itself across the screen. The obnoxious obstacle obscured everything from view, except the now chibi version of Robot Man, which was crying pitifully in the corner.

The room had originally been one of Negative Man's ideas (cough sarcastic remarks cough), after Beast Boy had complained one too many times about how boring normal training was. Mento, after having to deal with the green child's complaints one too many times, had demanded someone think of a way to shut the boy up, or else they would all suffer through extra training. To this day, Negative Man would live to regret taking that exact moment in time to deliver one of his trademark derogatory statements.

"Why don't you just make it a game?"

Negative Man wasn't being serious. Mento knew that. Elasti-Girl knew that. Hell, even Robot Man knew that. And when he knew something, you could bet your life that it was about as obvious as day.

But alas, no. None of the adults had yet come to understand the depth of Beast Boy's naivety at that point, what with him unknowingly being the dumbass of the Titans for the better half of a year. So here Negative Man found himself, dressed in a ridiculous and stereotypical outfit, watching a scrawny green teenager manhandle a robot that weighed close to a tonne, much like a tornado would a leaf.

Beast Boy grinned, before offering his hand to the sulking android in front of him.

"Come on, Cliff. You know today is the day I leave."

Robot Man looked up, before his face contorted into the best grin he could manage. It actually looked rather terrifying.

"Yeah, yeah. You beat me. Just like every other time we've ever played." Robot Man chuckled, before taking Beast Boy's hand, allowing the teen to pull him into a hug.

"I'll miss you, dude." Beast Boy admitted, patting the iron giant on the shoulder. "Thanks for helping me this past year. I wish I could repay you guys."

"Hey." Robot Man said, pulling back and kneeling down, so he could look the boy in the eyes. "The Doom Patrol always takes care of its own. According to you, you were the one that taught Mento the importance of that in your other future. Of course we would help you."

"He's right." Negative Man added, patting Beast Boy on the back. "Besides, you've saved us on so many missions ever since then, you've done more than enough. Now," he added, sparing a glance at the clock that was being displayed on the T.V screen behind them, "shouldn't you be off, before your team is formed without you?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy mumbled, spinning around to check the time for himself. If he remembered correctly, Starfire had crashed down in Jump City some time just after eight. He'd arrived on the scene a mere five minutes later.

_2:13_

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "Shit!" He cursed, turning on his heel to sprint down the corridor. Behind him, Robot Man and Negative Man exchanged glances, before snorting and hurtling out of the door in hot pursuit.

**XxX**

Elasti-Girl sat alone at the table in the kitchen of the Doom Patrol head-quarters, sipping sadly on a cup of coffee. There were not many things that could get the former actress down, and whenever something did, she could always pretend as though she were fine. But there was always someone who would see right through her lies, lies that were thorough enough to fool even the mind reader that was her team's leader.

It wasn't as though she was unhappy that Beast Boy was scheduled to leave that day. After all, ever since she had heard the story of what had transpired in his future, the entire team had been expecting his departure. But even so, even though she had an exact date, she still felt the sadness invading her mind.

Nothing she had done could properly prepare her for it. After all, she was the boy's mother. Not by blood, sure. But that did nothing to dismiss the love that a mother naturally felt for her children. Elasti-Girl had listened to Beast Boy explain what had happened in the future, had seen the tears that had escaped his eyes when he was explaining what had happened to his friends. She had fought off the overwhelming urge to hold him as he cried, instead focusing all of her attention on his words.

She could still remember the way her heart had shattered when he had tearfully asked for their help.

Mento had agreed without question, which was somewhat surprising to the rest of the Doom Patrol. After an awkward hug, he had sent the young boy off with Robot Man, in order to begin training.

"I'm not allowing this to stand." Mento had announced to Elasti-Girl and Negative Man, once the other two were out of earshot. "You two, get ready. We're going to find the Brain now."

Elasti-Girl had been all for destroying the most evil things in the universe (eat your heart out Trigon), until something rather unexpected had happened.

"No."

Alarmed, Mento and Elasti-Girl had turned to Negative Man, who was sitting perfectly still.

"No?" Mento had repeated dangerously, narrowing his eyes at his apathetic teammate.

"No." Negative Man had confirmed, shifting his head to look at his irate leader.

Before Mento could throw a tantrum, Elasti-Girl had decided to step in.

"Why not, Larry?"

Ignoring Mento's venomous glare, which he was somehow managing to throw at both of them despite standing in between them, Negative Man had instead turned to the doorway, where Robot Man could still be seen, hugging what looked to be a crying Beast Boy.

"Look at him. He's a mess." Negative Man had said, gesturing towards the oblivious duo, "he loved his team. He was there when it was made. If we go off and destroy the Brotherhood of Evil now, then he'll have nothing left. According to him, he came back in order to save his friends. He wants revenge, Steve. It's not healthy, but it's the truth. That's what will keep him going. He wants to see his friends again. The best thing we can do for him is prepare him. Besides, what makes you think that we could take out the Brotherhood if you're obviously leaving those two in the dark? Every other time we've failed, and we had them with us."

Elasti-Girl had been stunned. The speech had been dark and had a general foreboding sense to it, but then again everything Negative Man ever said did. What threw her for a loop was how insightful it had seemed. Negative Man may have not been able to care less about much of the world around him, but he always seemed to be able to understand people, generally better than even herself.

Ever since that day she had begun preparing herself for whenever she would have to say goodbye.

Beast Boy toppled through the doorway of the kitchen, instantly snapping Ealsti-Girl out of her thoughts. Standing up, her knee slammed into the table, sending her coffee cup flying. It tore through the air towards the door, where it was caught by Negative Man, as he and Robot Man filed in after the green changeling.

Elasti-Girl grit her teeth, doing her best to ignore the pain in her already bruising knee. Accepting her cup back, she took a step back, watching as Beast Boy scrambled back to his feet, only to begin searching through various cabinets at great speed.

"Come on, where are they?" He asked nobody in particular, throwing random objects over his shoulder as he vigorously scanned the shelves. The three behind him all exchanged looks, before diving out the way as utensils began sailing through the air.

"Stop throwing stuff!" Robot Man demanded, his eye twitching as a spork buried itself between his eyebrows.

"Ah hah!" Beast Boy suddenly cried, hoisting a cardboard box above his head victoriously. "You say somethin', Cliff?"

Grumbling obscenities, Robot Man yanked the spork out his head, crushing it into a tiny ball between two of his fingers.

"What's going on here?" Mento demanded, walking in through the door. Catching sight of the ruined piece of cutlery in Robot Man's hands, Mento stopped walking completely, before throwing a deadly look towards the large mechanical man.

"That's coming out of your salary." Mento whispered dangerously, pointing an accusatory finger at the steel superhero.

"You get a salary?" Beast Boy inquired indignantly, setting the box down on the table in order to cross his arms. "Where's mine!?"

Ignoring the fact that Beast Boy had spoken at all, Mento turned to the shape-shifter, eyeing him with his usual cold stare.

"You should have already left."

"Ouch, Mento. You could at least pretend to be sad about seeing me go." Beast Boy sighed, dejectedly turning to pick up the box that he had recently unearthed, before an odd sound stopped him in his tracks.

Laughter.

_Mento's_ laughter.

Spinning around in unison with the Doom Patrol, Beast Boy stared at the normally irate leader, who was currently slumped across the table, laughing hysterically.

"Uh…" They all started simultaneously, only to pause when Mento somehow began laughing harder.

"Oh, you should... all see… the looks… on your faces!" Mento gasped out, pointing dramatically at Negative Man, who had a visible drop of sweat sliding down the back of his head.

Without warning, Beast Boy burst into laughter, hastily throwing the box back on to the table, lest he accidentally drop it and break one of the incredibly valuable, 'no doubt any jostling would utterly decimate them' goodies inside.

"Oh man, that was a good one dude!" Beast Boy giggled, raising his hand, which Mento subsequently high-fived. The rest of the Doom Patrol stood off to the side, silently shaking their heads in defeat.

Typical. After all the time they had spent alone in training, Mento and Beast Boy were bound to pick up a few of each other's habits.

Too bad they only got the annoying ones.

"That was a good laugh." Mento sighed, wiping a tear from his eye, before catching sight of the box. "What's in that?"

"Huh?" Beast Boy grunted, coughing lightly into one hand. "Oh, just something for the future."

Mento cautiously reached into the depth of the cardboard, slowly pulling out one of the many small, yellow objects that were currently residing within. "And why are you in possession of them?"

"Because, dude." Beast Boy said, plucking the circular object from Mento's hand, before tossing it back into the box. "This time I'm gonna be at least somewhat prepared."

"Fair enough." Mento shrugged, before sneaking a glance at the clock that was hanging on the wall. "I wasn't lying when I said you should have left already, though."

Beast Boy looked up at ticking contraption, barely noting the little hand had just passed the three. "Yeah, but I figure that seeing as this is where we'll be going our separate ways, you could maybe, oh I don't know, give me a lift?"

Mento stared down at Beast Boy for close to a full minute, apparently considering the question. He sighed dramatically, before gesturing towards the door with both hands.

"Come on, we'll take the jet."

Beast Boy's eyes lit up, as his hand punched the air. "Sweet! Can I drive?"

Mento ruffled Beast Boy's hair as the green teen bounded past, looking all the part of the loving father. "Ha ha ha, not on your life."

"What about on yours?"

"Maybe when I'm not quite so happy with my marriage."

Beast Boy and Mento both chuckled as they walked through the kitchen door, completely forgetting about the utterly confused members of the Doom Patrol, who were all standing stock still, staring at the door that the two males had just exited through.

"What just happened?" Elasti-Girl ventured cautiously, her eyes leaving the doorway to send a questioning glance towards the other two in the room.

"No idea." Negative Man replied, before making his way towards the door. "But I wouldn't put it past them to leave us behind, so let's go."

**XxX**

Robin grunted in pain, his body slamming into the unforgiving street below. His chest was burning, a large bruise already forming over where the odd handcuffs had hit him. His opponent screamed out again, in that strange language that he could not recognise. Struggling to his feet, he quickly jumped out of the way as the strange girl attempted another strike, leaving a crater in the street where his head had been not a second earlier.

Wordlessly pulling out his Bo-staff, Robin leapt forward, putting as much power as he could behind the swing he sent towards the girl. The staff met its target, propelling the girl off of her feet and into an abandoned car.

Bringing his weapon back into a defensive position, Robin watched as the girl struggled to free herself from the metal which had collapsed around her, effectively holding her in place. As a large jet flew overhead, his staff shattered, the force behind his latest attack too much for the metal pole to withstand.

Staring down dumbly at his now empty hands, Robin failed to realise that the girl had freed herself from her makeshift prison. With a single, foreign word, she cracked her neck, before springing forward to deliver her next attack.

Robin brought his arms up, ready to block the girl's next hit. She was already too close to dodge. The best he could do was take the attack, and hope nothing too important broke. Or snapped. Or ruptured.

Without warning, a dark shape suddenly appeared right in front of Robin, its shoulder slamming into the girl from the side. Caught off guard by the sudden strike, the girl was sent flying, only stopping when she hit the side of an already trashed building.

Robin lowered his arms cautiously, as the dark shape, which he could now identify as a tall, well-built person, turned to face him. their entire upper body was covered by a light grey sweater, with simple black pants adorning their legs. Their face, which was half covered by the sweater's hoodie, was a chocolaty brown, and Robin could see that one of his eyes was a piercing, glowing red.

"Wanna tell me why she's so angry with you, and why you're screwing up my neighbourhood?" The person growled, in what Robin could identify as a male voice.

"She started it." Robin informed, managing to not sound childish as he did so. "I'm Robin, by the-"

"I know who you are." The person cut him off, before shifting his attention back to the strange girl. "She's gotta be stopped."

"I know." Robin agreed, before noticing the bus that the girl was currently holding above her head. "But that could be a problem."

With a bellow, the girl took a step forward, balancing the bus carefully on the tips of her handcuffs. Bringing her arms forward, she threw the bus as forcefully as she could, sending it flying straight towards the oddly dressed pair at breakneck speed.

"I got this!" The hoodie wearing person announced, taking a step forward. Failing to see the debris that was scattered on the street beneath him, he stumbled over a burnt-to-a-crisp piece of car, accidentally falling forward as a result.

Robin, who had already leapt out of the way, turned back around, only to see the bus less than ten metres away from the man who had saved him earlier. The man in question, however, had apparently tripped over some of the litter that now decorated the street.

Either that, or he was planning on stopping the vehicle with his head.

"Look out!" Robin yelled, already jumping back to his feet.

The man didn't answer; he was too busy staring at the boy who had just appeared in front of him, seemingly out of thin air.

**XxX**

Beast Boy watched from a nearby rooftop as Robin and Cyborg spoke, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Starfire was picking up a bus. He had to actively resist the urge to groan and slap his own forehead.

The most important event in his life, and he was late for it. Great. Juuuust _great_.

Well, later was better than never.

Beast Boy morphed quickly into a honeybee, buzzing his way carefully down to the ground. Avoiding the shattered bits of glass and scattered, tiny fires, Beast Boy watched as Starfire threw the bus. Robin jumped out of the way as expected, whilst Cyborg…

Tripped over, directly in the path of the rapidly approaching automobile.

If Beast Boy's eyes weren't currently compounded, he was sure they would have popped out of their sockets. His body working on autopilot, Beast Boy transformed into a cheetah, already running as he hit the ground, faster than he ever had before.

Skidding to a halt in front of Cyborg, Beast Boy morphed back to human, his eyes trained on the airborne bus. Already, every single animal instinct in his body was telling him to move, to save himself. But there was no way that was happening. Beast Boy had already decided to act. That decision had been made for him, the second he had seen the look on Cyborg's face.

It was the same look he'd had in the final moments before the Brotherhood explosion tore him apart.

There was no way that was going to happen again. No way it would ever happen to anyone ever again. He was going to protect them, to save them. He'd already decided that.

Even if it meant sacrificing his own life in order to do so.

Quickly shifting into the biggest animal he could think of, Beast Boy spun around, swinging his newly acquired tail directly towards the still incoming mode of transportation. It he'd had more time to react, he probably would have grabbed Cyborg and leapt out of the way. It would have been the ideal course of action.

Still, he'd take what he could get.

Connecting with the bus, Beast Boy's tail sliced directly through, splitting the large vehicle almost completely down the middle. The two halves of the once functional bus separated In mid-air, each slamming to the ground on either side of Beast Boy and Cyborg. Barely a second later, they exploded, though there was nothing within the blast radius of either that could really get damaged any further than what they already were.

Beast Boy roared loudly, before shifting back into human. Catching sight of the burning remains of the bus, he sighed, before turning and offering a hand out towards Cyborg.

"You alright, dude?" He asked, hoisting the half robotic teenager back onto his feet.

"Uh." Was all Cyborg could manage, as he let Beast Boy drag his feet back underneath him. He must have been tripping. That was the only explanation that really made sense.

After all, he'd just been saved from a flying bus by a green tyrannosaurus Rex. One that apparently had a tail both durable and sharp enough to cut through metal. And was also a human boy, who looked like he was younger than him.

"I'll take that as a yes." Beast Boy said, doing his best to hold in the giggle that seemed desperate to escape. Cyborg speechless was always one of the funnier things he had been subjected to in life, and he had learnt early to cherish whenever it happened.

Which wasn't often.

Ignoring the look of impressed curiosity Robin was throwing his way, Beast Boy turned to face Starfire, raising his hands in the process.

"I don't wanna fight you!" Beast Boy called out, to the surprise of Robin and Cyborg. Starfire tilted her head slightly, her conjoined hands still resting in front of her. Without warning, she suddenly threw her hands up, before slamming them into the ground at her feet, kicking up a cloud of dust as she did so.

Jumping back from one of the fissures that had just been caused, Beast Boy turned to face the two standing behind him, waving his hands frantically in the air as he did so.

"Dudes, take cover!" He shrieked, right before the first starbolt flew out of the cloud. Slamming into a building on their right, it exploded on impact, sending more rubble down to the street to join what had already been destroyed.

Robin and Cyborg both gave slight noises of surprise, before all three of them leapt behind the closest thing they could.

"Dude!" Cyborg exclaimed from behind his half of the destroyed bus, Robin and Beast Boy hiding behind the other one. Starbolts were now flying wildly above their heads, exploding whenever something was unfortunate enough to cross their paths. "I thought you told her you didn't wanna fight!"

"I dunno, man!" Beast Boy called back, risking a glance over the top of the bus. Immediately, he pulled his head back, a starbolt tearing through the air moments later, right where Beast Boy had been. After desperately making sure that all of his hair was still on top of his head, Beast Boy breathed a silent sigh of relief, before shifting his attention back to Cyborg.

"Maybe she's the one that wants a fight?"

He knew it was a lie, but he had no choice. Already it was taking all of his self-control to give massive bro-hugs to the two boys by his side. After all, he may have known them, but they didn't know him.

And besides, he still needed to stall them long enough for Raven to turn up.

"Girl's gonna wreck the whole city!" Cyborg called, crouching lower as a starbolt deflected off the top of his half-bus, less than half a metre from his face.

"I won't let her!" Robin declared, getting ready to spring from behind the protective cover of the half-bus as the starbolts began to die down. "I won't lose this fight!"

As if on cue, the starbolts cut off completely, Starfire sinking to the ground in exhaustion. Seizing the opportunity, Robin burst out from behind his cover, Beast Boy and Cyborg hot on his heels. Before any of them could launch an attack, however, a mass of dark energy rose from the ground, taking the distinct shape of a certain black bird.

"Maybe…" A small, timid voice started, sounding both foreign and familiar at the same time, "fighting isn't the answer?"

The bird dissolved, dropping the barrier between Starfire and the rest of the teens. Whilst Cyborg and Beast Boy both turned to face the one who had spoken, Robin kept his gaze on the tired form of Starfire, before zeroing in on the handcuffs which still bound her arms. Immediately, his eyes seemed to flash from behind his mask, as his brained clicked in understanding.

"Stand down." He ordered, a bit too harshly.

"What, d'you think you're the boss or somethin'?" Cyborg challenged, taking a few steps towards the Boy Wonder.

"Just…give me a chance." Robin requested, slowly making his way towards the alien.

Cyborg muttered something beneath his breath, before looking down at Beast Boy again.

"What's this guy's deal?" He asked rhetorically, crossing his arms as he watched Robin pull some form of tool from his utility belt.

Beast Boy merely shrugged, as he watched the all too familiar scene play out in front of him.

As the handcuffs fell to the ground with a heavy thud, Beast Boy had to stifle a small giggle as Starfire pulled the surprised former protégé in for a deep kiss, before shoving him back, where he fell on his still slightly dazed backside.

"If you wish not to be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" Starfire threatened, speaking English for the first time. Without waiting for an answer, she launched herself into the air, disappearing behind the line of recently wrecked rooftops.

Beast Boy had to hold in a laugh at the look on Robin's face. His mouth was hanging open, the fabric which obscured his eyes from view stretched to its limit. As he got up silently form the ground, Robin kept his gaze on the sky, a thoughtful look crossing his dumbfounded face.

Stepping forward to introduce himself, much like he had the last time, Beast Boy suddenly froze. Though his instincts were informing him of imminent danger, he couldn't see anything around him that could pose an immediate threat. Except maybe the fire. Or sharp objects.

_'Unless…'_ He thought to himself, before bringing his eyes to the sky. Just as he'd feared, the clouds were beginning to separate, a large, all too familiar form of alien ship slowly descending through. As the others turned to face it as well, a massive pod, easily the size of the biggest structure in Jump City, was ejected from the underside of the ship, landing on the small island out in the bay, much like it had the first time around.

_'They're early.'_ Beast Boy mused to himself, opting to survey his surrounding rather than listen to the speech that was now being broadcast to the entire city. It wasn't like he hadn't heard the same lies before.

The street was in shambles. Very little had survived the initial wave of destructive starbolts, and everything else had already been borderline obliterated beforehand anyway. Scorched vehicles littered the sides of the streets, joining in with whatever chunks had been separated from the buildings surrounding them. Shattered glass decorated a majority of the floor, and any part of the ground that wasn't covered in waste was either cracked or cratered. There was definitely more destruction this time around, that could easily explain the early arrival of the Gordanians.

"You're gonna go after her, aren't you?" Cyborg asked, snapping Beast Boy out of his thoughts.

Robin cast one last glance at the handcuffs which lay in the street, before he looked up to the alien mother-ship. Already, Gordanian soldiers were flying out, each one equipped with a spear and a scowl.

"I need to see if she's a threat." He announced, taking a step away from the destruction, intent on starting his search.

Ignoring Cyborg's subsequent sarcastic remark, Beast Boy stepped forward, his best hopeful grin on his features.

This was it, the team's first adventure. The first time they worked together.

"Mind if we tag along?"

Robin turned around, facing the green boy who had spoken. Behind him, Raven was looking rather nervous, whilst Cyborg had a completely neutral look on his face. Still, the smile that Beast Boy was giving off was infectious; Robin could feel one pulling at his own lips.

"I suppose I could team up." Robin said, allowing the smile to reach his hidden eyes. "Just this once."

**XxX**

Robin poked his head out of the alleyway that he and the others were currently hiding in, watching as the aliens who had been searching the street flew away. It was difficult, navigating a city that he had never been in before, avoiding an invasion force as he did so. But he managed. He was the Boy Wonder, after all.

"So." He whispered, turning to face the superheroes behind him. "How do we-"

"She's near." Raven suddenly interjected, turning away as the boys all looked at her. "I…can sense things." She finished rather lamely.

"She's right." Beast Boy agreed, taking a whiff of the air. "I can smell her."

It wasn't exactly necessary, Beast Boy knew that. Unless something else had been altered, he knew exactly where the alien princess would be. Still, it was best that he keep tracking her anyway.

Even if he was technically from the future, it wouldn't hurt to make sure.

"There's…a sonic analyser built into my arm." Cyborg announced, pulling his sleeve back for the first time. His electronics glowed a bright blue in the murky darkness of the alley, as he began tapping buttons on the tiny screen that had just opened up on his wrist. "If she's around, I'll hear her."

"Dude…" Beast Boy breathed with feigned surprise, bringing his face down closer to the now exposed prosthetic limb. "That's…awesome!"

"It's not that cool." Cyborg muttered, his face turned to the ground. Even with the neon glow of his gadgetry, his face was hidden, obscured by the shadows in the back of his hood.

"Are you kiddin'?" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "You have a computer in your arm! That's, like, almost as cool as that dark energy stuff from earlier!"

"You…you think my powers are cool?" Raven questioned, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly as Beast Boy turned, grinning at her.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

"I…I don't know." Raven admitted quietly, dropping her eyes down to the floor. "I guess I thought you'd think that I was creepy or something…"

Beast Boy's grin faltered, before turning into a warm smile. "Dude, why would I think you're creepy?"

Raven looked back up, a small frown on her face. "I have grey skin and my powers-"

"Stop." Beast Boy commanded sternly, shocking the girl into silence. "My skin is green. I have fangs. My ears are pointed. I can turn into animals, some of which are extinct. So don't even think for a second that I'm going to judge you because of your skin or powers. Got it?"

Raven nodded wordlessly, her face heating up even further than what it already had. Smiling warmly, Beast Boy turned back to Cyborg, whose finger had never left the screen on his arm.

"You got a lock on her?" He asked, completely oblivious to the look of obvious approval which had adorned Robin's face.

"Uh, yeah. She's somewhere in the street." Cyborg said, lowering his sleeve back down. His eyes found their way back to the floor, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, dude?" Cyborg said, his head still bowed to the ground, "thanks."

"No problem!" Beast Boy said happily, before perking his ears up.

"There!" He suddenly said, pointing towards a video store. It seemed as though history had remained true, it was the same one that they had found Starfire in last time. Without another word, Beast Boy shot from the alley, closely followed by Robin. Cyborg shook his head once, before looking down at Raven. Making eye contact, they both wordlessly nodded, before making their way out of the alley, tiny twin smiles on their faces.

"That was impressive, what you said back there." Robin said, catching up to the running Beast Boy. "Though I have to ask, did you mean it?"

"Every word, dude." Beast Boy said without hesitation, as though he were expecting the question. "They needed to hear it, I just told them the truth. Now, let's go get your girlfriend!"

Robin opened his mouth to protest, but Beast Boy was already gone, cackling wildly as he sped through the night, stopping right at the door of the shop.

**XxX**

Alright, I'll end this chapter off now.

I'll say this, I'm only releasing this chapter this early because I know what I want to do with the next one. I haven't actually started chapter (technically) 2 yet, what with everything else I have to do in my life. But let's be honest, you don't honestly care about that, so I won't go into details.

So, next update could be at any time this month. Probably under two weeks away, actually. I've been in a writing mood lately, it's positively marvellous.

So yes, leave a review! As I said, I love reading them, especially if they're constructive criticism. Seriously, just one can make an author's day. They're that awesome.

Alrighty then, I've rambled long enough. 'Till next time!

Peace!

_**X**_


	3. Chapter 2 - Unfortunate Circumstances

Yo', how's it going?

Hey look, a new chapter. Where did that come from?

(I slaved over a keyboard for hours on end you ungrateful fuc-)

*Ahem* anywho. Guest reviews and stuff!

Guest whom I have redubbed Mr. Guest: Look, I'll just say it. I was a prick to you in the last chapter's A/N with that comment at the end. It was never my intention to insult or belittle you, merely answer your question and let people see why I would not like to answer guest review questions. I humbly apologise for my behaviour, it was completely uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me for something I typed when I was in a bad mood.

Based Bobcat: Thanks, man. I care about my details in life too. I love you in a half-homo way. Is that an acceptable amount of homo? I hope it is, my feeling are too strong. Here, I wrote this haiku for you:

'Kick-ass reviewer.  
Always leaves awesome comments.  
My brains are hurting.'

Alright, I'm stopping before things get too weird. On with the show!

**Disclaimer: Doesn't take a genius to realise that I don't own Teen Titans. Then again, rich people generally aren't renowned for their intellect.**

**XxX**

_Chapter two - Unfortunate Circumstances_

The door to the video store swung open slowly, the hinges singing the song of their people. Light from the street outside flooded into the building, chasing the shadows away. The four teenagers stood in the doorway, doing their best to peer in through darkness.

"Dude…" Beast Boy muttered, gesturing towards the large hole in the wall, which Starfire had left on her way into the store, "we would have looked way more awesome if we decided to go in through there!"

"That's not our priority." Robin hissed, his sights landing on the feasting form of Starfire. Slowly, he began to walk into the store, doing his best to not make any noise. "We're here to get answers, not to worry about looking cool."

It was about at that time that the building exploded.

**XxX**

"Lord Trogaar, I still do not see why it was necessary for you to accompany us into the field like this, sir."

"I've already told you, Captain." Trogaar croaked, his eyes seeming to light up, along with the sky, as the nearly abandoned building was set ablaze. The street shaking with the force of the blast, the reptilian alien marched on bravely, stepping around debris every few steps. "We were warned of this planet, of how we were to face resistance. I am here merely to ensure that the task is completed."

"But sir!" The captain protested, waving a hand in front of his face to clear the smoke in the air. "This is Earth! There is nothing on this rock that can stand up to our forces!"

"That may be true." Trogaar conceded, before setting his sights on the unconscious form of Starfire, who was lying still in the store. "But the one who has provided me with this information is trustworthy."

"Sir, there was still no reason for you to leave the comfort of our ship."

"I am the strongest of our forces." Trogaar announced, crossing the threshold of the burning store in a few strides. Picking Starfire up with one massive hand, he walked back to his soldiers, clipping a pair of alien handcuffs on the blacked-out girl's wrists as he did so. "Therefore, I am most useful here, where there is the chance we face resistance. Do you disagree, Captain?"

"N-no, sir." The soldier spluttered out, bowing his head as he did so. Disagreeing with Trogaar was considered treason against the Gordanian Empire.

Treason was also one of the many things in the Gordanian Empire that was punishable by death.

Of course, that was only the law on Trogaar's ship. But if you were living under his roof and you weren't paying rent, then you had to follow the rules.

And seeing as the Gordanian soldiers were not payed any form of salary, they had to make do with what they were given. Even if what they were given was an egotistical lizard faced tyrant with a God complex, who spent more than half his time acting like a little, spoiled, prima-donna bitc-

"Sir!" One of the many soldiers called out from the other side of the store, raising his weapon as he did so. "There are others here!"

"Others?" Trogaar questioned, throwing Starfire into a passing soldiers arms. "What do you mean, 'others'?"

Kicking aside the now demolished door, the Gordanian soldier reached behind a pile of rubble, pulling Beast Boy out much like Mumbo would a chainsaw out of his hat.

"There are four in total, all young looking. There are what looks to be three males and one female. All are quite severely injured, though."

Trogaar nodded at the report, bringing one clawed finger to his chin.

"Sir? What shall we do with them?" The soldier asked, poking through the pile of rubble with his spear. "There does not appear to be any more."

"Handcuff the female." Trogaar announced, brushing a bit of debris form his shoulder. "We shall bring her with us. Human females frequently go for large sums of money on the black market."

"Understood. And what of the males?"

Trogaar raised one eyebrow as Beast Boy was thrust out towards him, as if awaiting inspection.

"Leave them. They will not survive very long either way, there is no point wasting energy or cells on already dying vermin."

The soldiers nodded once again, tossing Beast Boy back behind the debris like a sack of potatoes. Fishing Raven out, the Gordanian soldier did as he was instructed, holding the now handcuffed Raven by one hand as he stood in front of his leader.

"Alright, we are done here. Troops, move out!" Trogaar roared, spreading his wings wide. Before he could take off, however, a weak voice called out from the shadows, as if someone were talking in their sleep.

"You're…not….gonna…take 'em!"

**XxX**

Beast Boy hit the ground head first, resisting the urge to cry out in pain. He had been willing his body to move ever since he had heard the first Gordanian, but no matter what he tried nothing would respond.

"Alright!" He heard Trogaar call out, the entire store subsequently falling silent, "we are done here. Troops, move out!"

Beast Boy could feel the blood in his vein turn to ice.

He was taking them. Trogaar was taking Starfire and Raven. And all he could do was listen.

That couldn't happen! They hadn't formed the Titans, they hadn't beaten Slade, they hadn't defeated Brother Blood, and they hadn't survived the apocalypse.

They hadn't taken out the Brotherhood of Evil. And they would never get the chance. Why? Because they were going to fail the first thing they had ever done as a team.

That wasn't going to happen.

Ignoring the screaming pain coming from his everything, Beast Boy opened his mouth. He could feel the words; almost taste them, as though they were stuck in between his teeth. Taking as deep a breath as he could, he strained his vocal cords, focusing all of his energy on his voice.

"You're…not…gonna…take 'em!"

Well, it was a start.

Though he could have said it as though he _wasn't _talking through a mouthful of food.

Mustering all the strength he had left in his broken body, Beast Boy struggled to his feet. His muscles were shrieking, any bone that hadn't already threatening to snap.

"Oh? So he's awake. And so soon after taking a hit from our most powerful explosive? Impressive, boy." Trogaar commented, raising an eyebrow as Beast Boy fell to one knee, coughing up a lungful of blood. "Though it seems you have taken some damage. Such a pity, you might have fetched a good price-"

"Shut…up." Beast Boy growled, pushing himself back to his feet. Twin trails of blood were now leaking from both sides of his mouth, as he pulled his lips back, showcasing his razor sharp fangs in a threatening snarl.

"Oh? Such attitude!" Trogaar muttered sarcastically, yanking a spear from the hands of the soldier beside him. Clearing the distance between the green teenager and himself within a few strides, Trogaar grabbed Beast Boy by the collar of his uniform, hoisting him high into the air. "I'll just have to teach you some manners."

"Hah…you can try…but I'm really bad at…retaining lessons…" Beast Boy mumbled weakly, feebly pawing away at the clawed hand which held him captive. Already, he could feel himself fading away, giving in to the overwhelming temptation of unconsciousness. But there was no way he would allow himself to show that amount of weakness.

Until the blunt end of the spear connected forcefully with the side of his head, with enough strength to propel him from Trogaar's grip, face first into a pile of broken building.

Trogaar glanced down at the blood which was now splattered across his borrowed weapon, his face twisting into a mild look of disgust. Without so much as a customary wipe, he threw the weapon carelessly over his shoulder, smacking an unprepared soldier across the face with it as he did so. Turning back to Beast Boy, Trogaar harshly kicked the green boy in the stomach, before spitting on the ground beside him.

"Here's hoping your death is slow and painful, worm…" Was the last thing that reached Beast Boy's sensitive ears, before the darkness finally succeeded in swallowing him up.

**XxX**

"Get up."

Raven groaned, shaking her head lightly from side to side. She didn't want to wake up, this was the first time in weeks that she was able to sleep without having nightmares.

"I said get. Up."

Raven reluctantly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the new light level. Her mind still clouded with sleep, she attempted to raise a hand to her face, in order to wipe away the crust from the corners of her eyes.

Only she couldn't move her hands.

Tilting her head in confusion, Raven glanced down, looking past her destroyed cloak to her hands.

Her hands, which were currently bound together by an odd pair of incredibly large, incredibly heavy handcuffs.

Ignoring the panic that was bubbling in her chest, Raven looked around, doing her best to survey her surroundings.

She was in a cell. A prison cell. She was in a strange prison cell, wearing strange handcuffs, sitting just a few feet away from the strange girl from earlier who had thrown the bus.

How very strange.

"So you are awake. That is pleasing." The girl grunted, not sounding very pleased as she glared down at her handcuffs. From where she was sitting, Raven could see that her eyes were ablaze, glowing a radioactive green.

"Where are we?" Raven queried, snapping the girls attention away from her wrists.

"We are on a Gordanian ship, in a cell made for prisoners." The girl replied, throwing a sour look towards the gigantic door. "And I do none of the doubting that we are on our way to the Citadel."

"What is the Citadel?" Raven asked, shrinking back slightly from the look that was being thrown her way. It probably wouldn't have been that scary, if the girl's eyes weren't glowing at the time.

Before the girl could answer, the cell door swung open with so much force that it left a dent in the metal where it impacted. Two Gordanian soldiers walked in, one of them carrying a tray piled high with what could only be described as grey mud.

"Eat up, maggots." One of the guards said, as the other set the tray down on the ground in front of them. "This may be the only food you get for a while, so I would enjoy it if I were you."

"Echg't borrrdarra!" The girl shouted at the guards as they left the room, locking the door behind them.

Before Raven could ask for a translation, an intercom suddenly screeched into life, Raven and the girl both wincing as the shrill sound of feedback rang through their ears.

"Attention!" A raspy voice called out, louder than necessary. "We shall be leaving this planet within five of its minutes. I repeat, we shall be leaving this planet within five of its minutes. That is all."

"Five Earth minutes?" One of the guards complained from the other side of the door. "I don't even know what a minute is and already I know it'll take forever!"

"Relax." The second guard grunted. "We're only stuck here because one of the geniuses in the science lab was reluctant to mention how badly that blast would deplete our batteries. Besides, it's only three hundred seconds."

"A minute is three hundred seconds?"

"No, stupid. Five minutes all together is three hundred seconds. Weren't you listening in the meeting this morning?"

"Oh, right. Say, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"What's a second?"

The sound of a scaly fist connecting with something rang throughout the hallway, a loud "OW!" following not a second later. From behind the door, Raven and the girl shared an uneasy glance. Or, about as uneasy as Raven was willing to show. Here they were, trapped in a prison cell, stuck with handcuffs that Raven's powers didn't seem to have any effect on, about to launch off into space towards something that could make a girl who could shoot explosives and throw cars run and hide.

Yeah, it was safe to say that Raven was feeling quite a bit of uneasiness at that point.

**XxX**

"Dude, wake up!"

Beast Boy groaned, his eyes opening into tiny slits.

"Get up, man! We don't have time to play around!"

Sitting up slowly, Beast Boy moaned, clutching his aching head in one hand. In front of him, six people sat, watching him with concern on their faces.

"You alright, man?" Three on them asked simultaneously, as the world began spinning around them.

"Uh…" Beast Boy mumbled, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" The other trio asked, throwing their hands in front of Beast Boy's face.

"Uh…twelve?" Beast Boy tried hesitantly, crossing his eyes in order to count every digit.

"Alright, he's not OK."

"Why is there six of you?" Beast Boy inquired, closing his eyes and shaking his head slightly. The pounding in his skull was worsening, the smell of blood and smoke still overwhelming his nostrils.

"Damn it! What are we supposed to do now? We got about three minutes before Space Gecko up there turns the city into a smoking hole!" The first trio snapped, throwing their hands into the air in unison.

"I don't know." The second trio replied, two of them slowly starting to fade. "We can't just sit here and do nothing, though. We have to think of something."

"Think of what?" The first trio demanded, turning back to the second trio. Four of the boys had almost faded, as the world slowly began grinding to a halt. "I've been torn apart! You can't even stand! He's completely out of it! What is it that we can-"

"Wait." Beast Boy mumbled, breaking Cyborg out of his rant. The universe around him had finally stilled, the copies of his acquaintances faded into nothingness. "What's going on?"

"Seriously? Where you been the last few minutes?" Cyborg yelled, only to be met with a blank stare. "Oh, right. Well, uh…"

"The announcement was only about a minute ago." Robin cut in, clutching his chest as he winced. "Apparently, we've managed to annoy them to the point of destroying the entire city. The deadline's in about three and a half minutes."

"And," Cyborg added, sparks flying from his chest, "We still have no idea where those two girls went."

"He took them." Beast Boy said, the pain in his head subsiding somewhat.

"Who?"

"Trogaar."

"…Who?"

"The… uh… the big lizard guy. He was probably the one in the hologram." Beast Boy explained, struggling to his feet. His muscles complained with every movement, but he ignored them, opting to instead examine the two in front of him.

Robin looked as though he had seen better days. The Boy Wonder sat, leaning against a pile of debris, a pained expression on his face. His costume was badly damaged, rips and burns littering the surface of the resilient fabric. He was still in one piece, which was surprising, seeing as he had been the one closest to the blast. His cape, which was lying on the ground underneath him, was badly burnt. It was the only protection he had had throughout the whole ordeal, and was probably what had stopped the teenager from catching fire in the first place.

Cyborg didn't look any better. Much of his cybernetic body was badly burnt, two entire limbs having been torn off. Whole sections of his chest had been melted away, wires sticking out every few inches. Thin trails of blood ran down the human half of his face, whilst the robotic half was more or less open completely, revealing part of the supercomputer that functioned as his brain. Scraps of fabric stuck to his body in an irregular pattern, being all that was left of the civilian clothes he had worn beforehand.

"Well, this talking ain't getting us anywhere." Cyborg announced, attempting to struggle to his foot. With only one arm and leg, both being on opposite sides of his body, he wasn't getting anywhere quickly. "The entire city's gonna be obliterated in about three minutes, we gotta do something."

"Yeah, we do. But there's not much we can do besides call for backup." Robin proclaimed, coughing lightly into one hand. Ignoring the tiny flecks of blood which now stained his glove, he pushed himself to his feet, silently wincing the entire way. "It sounds like they're planning on destroying the city, then running before the Justice League gets to them."

"Yeah, but that doesn't help us. We need to do something now!"

"We don't have any other options, we're too injured t-"

Beast Boy silently turned away from the two arguing boys in front of him, looking up towards the sky. The large, cannon like protrusion of the alien ship was already glowing, humming as huge amounts of energy was passed through.

They were running out of time.

Reinforcement would never arrive before the cannon fired. Robin couldn't walk. Cyborg was too damaged.

That only left him.

Beast Boy clenched a fist, focusing all of his concentration. The bickering of the teenagers behind him wasn't helping any, but he would have to make do. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled, before letting out a tiny grunt of pain.

"Yo', you alright?" Cyborg asked, looking up as Beast Boy swayed slightly on his feet.

"Yeah…" Beast Boy groaned, experimentally stretching his broken arm. To his relief, it responded normally, the lingering pain being the only evidence that it was ever damaged.

Forcing his cells to regenerate in order to heal his major injuries was still one of his most useful capabilities, one that he would be forever grateful to Mento for discovering, albeit accidentally, during one of their training sessions.

Too bad that it always took most of his energy, not to mention left all the pain of a forcefully broken limb behind.

"We need to act, now!" Robin yelled, drawing the attention of both teens. "We've only got two minutes lef-"

"I'll go."

"Wait what?"

"I said I'll go." Beast Boy repeated, turning back to the ship. Slowly, he began making his way out of the destroyed store, his eyes never leaving the Gordanian's particle weapon.

"You can't go on your own!" Cyborg cried, making another attempt to get to his feet. "You're more injured than the two of us put together! My scanners-"

"Must be wrong." Beast Boy interjected, glancing at the robotic teenager over his shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Huh?" Cyborg muttered, turning his eyes back to the screen on his arm. "That can't be right, I checked when you were out of it…"

"Regardless, we can't let you go alone." Robin insisted.

"You don't have a choice." Beast Boy replied, closing his eyes. Feathers were slowly beginning to sprout from his skin, his nose and mouth stretching into a sharp beak.

"Say what?" Cyborg exclaimed, whilst Robin silently nodded from beside him.

"Neither of you can fly." Beast Boy informed them, before leaping into the air. Finishing his transformation, the green eagle took off into the night, ascending rapidly towards the alien ship.

"Oh." Was all Cyborg could say, as he watched the green bird tearing into the sky. Broken body temporarily forgotten, he turned to Robin, who was watching the sky with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well, now what do we do?" Cyborg asked, wincing as sparks began raining from his chest.

Robin was silent for a moment, before he turned to the half-robot beside him. Letting out a brief sigh, he shook his head once, before setting his sights on Cyborg's right shoulder.

"Well, first thing's first." He announced, grunting slightly as he took a step towards Cyborg. "We need to rebuild you."

"Good luck in this dump." Cyborg muttered, rolling his eyes at a particularly wobbly pile of trash.

"Do you think he can pull it off?"

Robin raised an eyebrow at the sudden question, before a small smile spread itself across his lips. "He's not alone, you know."

"What?" Cyborg exclaimed, his head turning around so quickly that Robin briefly feared that he had injured himself. "But I thought he just-"

"I'm not talking about us." Robin said, shuffling from pile to pile of rubble. "According to him, there's two super powered girls up there, and they're not going to be too happy about being kidnapped by giant space lizards."

"Oh, right. Wait, how did he know they were up there?"

Robin paused briefly, before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. We'll have to ask him when he gets back. Now, isn't that your arm over there?"

Cyborg twisted his neck, doing his best to look in the indicated direction from his position. Sure enough, atop the largest pile of debris, sat a remarkably undamaged arm, which was waving merrily down at them from its perch.

"Yeah!" Cyborg cheered, waving back with his still attached arm. "Now all we gotta do it get it down here so I can reattach it."

"Sounds like a plan." Robin declared, before him mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown. "But how are we going to get it down?"

"…You sure you're not able to fly?"

"Absolutely positive."

"Well shit."

**XxX**

Beast Boy landed silently atop the massive ship, morphing back to human as he did so. Heart pounding, he took off at a run, his mind racing along faster than his feet could ever hope to achieve.

_'What should I do first, save the girls or take out the weapon? The weapon is deadly, sure. But the girls take priority.'_

"Attention all Gordanian's within headquarters!" A raspy voice called out, the whining feedback indicating the use of an intercom. "The particle cannon will be firing within one Earth minute. I would suggest sitting back in order to enjoy the show."

_'Weapon takes priority, sorry girls.'  
_  
Spinning on his heel, Beast Boy shifted into a cheetah, digging his claws as best he could into the metal beneath his feet. He knew where the control room was, he had been on this ship before.

Taking off at a sprint, the green cat rocketed along the top of the ship, the air stinging his eyes. He had less than a minute to get to the helm of the ship, force his way through every Gordanian on the way there, and shut off the weapon.

He could do that.

There was only one problem with his perfect plan.

He was outside the ship, separated from the controls by metal that was strong enough to contain Starfire's brute Tamaranian strength.

Sliding to a halt above the control room, the green cat experimentally scratched at the surface of the ship, leaving not so much as a mark.

He couldn't do that.

Panicking, Beast Boy reverted back to human, glancing down worriedly at the shining cannon in front of him. He had less than thirty seconds left, and his entire plan had just fallen apart. All with no effort expended from the Gordanians.

"Come on Beast Boy, think!" He muttered to himself, both hands balled into tight fists against his forehead. Nothing was coming to mind, nothing that completely ridiculous, that is.

"Wait…" Beast Boy whispered to himself, replaying his latest thought in his head. "It's not awful, but it'll probably hurt a lot…"

"Attention all Gordanians within headquarters!" The intercom blared once again, Beast Boy covering his sensitive ears as the feedback whined. "The particle weapon will be firing in ten, nine, eight…"

_'Crap!'_ Beast Boy mentally screamed, transforming as quickly as he could. In a blur of green feathers, he had disappeared, streaking off into the surrounding, inky darkness.

Robin and Cyborg were still down there, directly in the firing line of the weapon. Starfire and Raven were being held captive, ready to taken from Earth forever, most likely to be sold as slaves.

All of them were counting on him. All of them were leaving their life in his hands.

_'This'll hurt like hell.'_ The green peregrine falcon thought, his beak puncturing through the top of the clouds at record speed, _'but I have no choice.'_

In one fluid motion, the bird flipped around, beating his wings as hard as he could. Entering the veil of clouds once again, Beast Boy powered through, feeling the air smashing against his face.

_'They're counting on me…'_

The avian's form burst through the clouds once more, sights set on the large cannon directly below it.

_'Just like last time…'_

The fastest bird on Earth narrowed its eyes, it body beginning to transform.

_'I'm not failing again…'_

The Gordanian intercom was still squawking in the background, though Beast Boy couldn't hear it. His body was growing larger and larger, fins and razor sharp teeth bursting from his green skin.

_'No matter what it takes…'_

Transformation complete, the gargantuan animal closed its eyes completely, the heat from the apocalyptic weapon below him already burning his rubbery skin.

_'I don't care if it kills me…'_

Beast Boy snapped his eyes open, his teeth already sinking through layer upon layer of alien metal. With one almighty tug, he pulled the weapon clean off of the nose of the ship, ignoring the stinging electricity that was flowing directly into his mouth.

_'Because this time around…'_

Twisting his thick neck as far as he could, Beast Boy let go of the destroyed section of the alien ship. It flew through the air, managing to clear the entirety of the city. Slamming down into the bay, the weapon exploded, sending waves out in all directions.

_'Nothing will stop me…'_

With a primal roar, the animal began to plummet once again. Picking up speed, its tail slammed into the side of the ship, enough force behind the blow to make the alien vehicle wobble. Electricity still coursing through its body, the ancient fish closed its eyes, darkness obscuring its vision once again.

_'From saving them!'_

Oblivious to the cries of two familiar teenagers, the humongous carnivore slammed to the ground, kicking up a dust cloud large enough to cover a city block. Pain shot through the creature's cold blooded body, the road beneath its massive weight cratering.

_'Good luck, you lizard bastards...'_ Beast Boy thought to himself, feeling his body begin to transform once again. His fins began shrinking into his back, his teeth narrowing and shrinking slightly. Thick, bristly fur began sprouting from every inch of skin, flippers morphing back into large, muscly arms. His tail split apart, transforming into two powerful looking legs.

With a growl, Beast Boy pushed himself off of the ground, standing tall within the confines of the cloud of dust. His fur standing on end, he glared through the haze of dirt, directly at the Gordanian ship overhead.

He'd taken care of the weapon.

Now it was time to save the girls.

Bellowing into the night, Beast Boy launched himself straight up, the sheer force of his leap creating a small shockwave, pushing the cloud of dust in all directions.

Little more than a green streak against a murky, star speckled backdrop, he shot off into the air towards the Gordanian ship, claws extended in front of him.

_'I'll tear your ship apart before I let you take them away!'_

**XxX**

**With the cannon taken care of, Beast Boy must now release Starfire and Raven from their prison. But with Trogaar apparently having help from an unknown third party, what will he have to do in order to achieve his goal and reunite the Titans?**

Alright, I'll end this off here.

You know what's really funny? Last chapter I said I had an idea of what I wanted to do with this chapter and that I would be able to release it soon as a result.

Yeah, this chapter was an absolute bitch to write. None of the ideas would work, words wouldn't fit properly, and overall everything went wrong. That's why this chapter is a little bit shorter.

So yes, now that that's all over, leave a review! I'll even leave a little game for this chapter. If you can guess what two animals Beast Boy turned into at the end there (the one that destroyed the weapon and the one that I ended the chapter with) I'll give you a shout-out next chapter, as well as a…cookie. Yeah, a cookie. Everyone likes them, right?

Well, sucks if you don't, 'cos I don't have any other fake prizes.

No cheating either! I'm watching you…

So yeah, until next chapter!

Peace!

_**X**_


	4. Chapter 3 - Prison Break

Eeeeeehhhhh!

Greetings, readers.

Y'know, I've been thinking recently. All these other authors have something they can call their readers. Like, I've seen people being referred to as 'Muffins', 'Minions' and even 'Bitchez'. So, why don't I hop on the bandwagon?

My first thought was 'My readers can be the X-Men!' Get it? 'Cos my name is X? Yeah, you got it. But then it dawned on me; some of my readers are girls.

Now, I'm not sexist. So that name was out. So then I had to start thinking, what do you all have in common?

I couldn't go X-People, because there are some of you out there who don't deserve to be referred to as people. You know who you are, you pricks. But then it dawned on me. If you've got a computer or phone and your reading my stories, it's safe to assume you're wearing clothes, right? 'Cos it'd get really weird if I found out people were doing dirty things whilst reading my stories…*shiver*

So, for that reason alone, and not because I'm completely immature and I find this hilarious, I shall now be calling my readers 'The X-Dressers'!

I'm sure this story will lose about fifteen followers for this, but ah well. Completely worth it.

So, on with the show!

**Disclaimer: Even if the chapter is slightly longer this time around, doesn't mean I own Teen Titans**

**XxX**

_Chapter three - Prison Break_

Beast Boy ripped through the underside of the Gordanian ship, the unique metal shredding beneath his claws like paper. Forcing his hands into the small lacerations he had created, he violently threw the appendages apart, easily tearing a hole big enough for an Ankylosaurus to fit through. Within the blink of an eye, the superhero had climbed inside the alien spacecraft, the tips of his serrated nails leaving tiny dents as he did so.

All in under a second.

Claws extended in front of him, the large animal continued upwards, following the long tunnel that he had found himself in. A cool breeze was wafting through, causing the hair on the back of his neck to rise as a shiver coursed through his body unbidden. Far behind himself, he could hear the unmistakable sounds of Gordanian conversation, the raspy voices barely audible over the large fan at the end of the tunnel, the way opposite of his choosing.

He was probably in an air vent, then. A ridiculously large air vent.

The large animal let a satisfied grin cross his face, the claws on his hands slowly retracting. As quietly as he could, he raised his nose to the sky, taking in all the scents around him.

An air vent was the perfect cover for his fuzzy body. The various openings would provide him with enough smells to lay out an accurate map of the ship within his mind, whilst hiding his incredibly conspicuous form from view.

_'Looks like I'm finally getting some luck my way.'_ The changeling noted to himself, rolling his eyes as his thoughts strayed back to everything that had happened less than a half hour ago. _'Took it long enough…'_

Beast Boy continued down the unnaturally large tunnel, his head brushing lightly against the ceiling. He would have reverted to walking on all fours in order to give himself a bit more room to breathe, but it would be too risky to deny the dexterity that his form was granted, especially when he was bypassing a literal army by no more than a few feet.

And unless he willingly gave up the control that he had trained so hard for, Beast Boy knew that even as The Beast, he stood no chance against a battalion of aliens, all of whom more than ready to kill.

Stealth was to be his friend, shadows his acquaintances. His mission was one of silence, not to mention utmost importance.

_'That's probably something Batman would say.'_ The shape shifter mused to himself, unable to contain the shiver of dread that ran down his spine.

If it had been a few years ago, Beast Boy probably would have been ecstatic to have his thinking process mirror that of the Dark Knights' so much. But after seeing what a childhood full of the legend had done to certain parts of Robin's psyche?

…Not so much._  
_  
"Have you heard? Apparently the ground troops managed to apprehend a second female from this planet. Why anyone would want scum from this rock baffles me. And we only find out when we're about to leave, no less."

Beast Boy froze, his ears immediately flicking upwards. The person who owned the voice had sounded as though their throats were coated in sandpaper.

Yep, definitely Gordanian.

Beast Boy closed his eyes, focusing as intently as he could on his senses of hearing and smell. He needed to know where he was, and how many opponents would await him if he decided to attack.

If they were deciding to leave, then Beast Boy would be forced to sacrifice his stealth for speed. And if he wasn't careful, that speed could quickly devolve into a lot of bloodshed.

Whether the blood would be theirs or his, he couldn't know. But even so, both possibilities were undesirable at best.

Right beside where the voice had originated from, Beast Boy could easily detect a low, consistent hum. The air stank of oil and electricity, the wind blowing through the vent around his body being a lot hotter than anywhere else he had encountered. Already, the possibilities were narrowed down significantly.

It couldn't be another weapon being charged, he had been heading upwards and towards the center of the ship. From this position, the only thing the weapon would be able to hit was water, unless it was pointed directly down.

No matter how thick-headed the Gordanians were, they weren't possible that stupid.

Something along the lines of the cafeteria or (if they had one) the gym would not require this level of constant power. Judging from the smell, the voltage going through those wires was incredibly high.

As in 'capable of carrying an entire ship full of butt-ugly aliens through space' high.

"Quiet, you fool!" A second voice snapped, somehow managing to sound even more like a person about to die in the desert. "I do not desire to be punished for speaking out against Lord Trogaar's decisions. Our job is merely to confirm that the engines will have enough power for this trip. I do not wish to add 'write will' to my ever growing list of things to do!"

Bingo. He was in the engine room, no doubt near the center of the ship. Hell, he was probably only a few feet from it.

"Alright, relax!" The first alien snapped, a loud metallic thud indicating he had just kicked the engine itself. "I was just saying that we are only here for one girl. There is no purpose in taking a second one, that wasn't part of this deal."

"And how am I supposed to know?" The second Gordanian asked rhetorically, tapping his spear against one of the many gauges on the side of the massive engine. "Lord Trogaar has his own reasons. It might just be a case of he plans to have his way with the second one. The first one's virginity has already been promised to the Citadel's first prince."

Beast Boy felt the words hit his ears like a ton of bricks, his claws extending to their terrifying full length completely on their own accord. One glance of the fifteen inch serrated knives would be enough to send the deadliest of carnivores back to where it came from with its tail between its legs.

A second glance at the look of pure rage on The Beast's face would ensure they'd leave an ocean of urine behind as they went.

The Beast approached the side of the vent, his body exuding an aura of deadly calm. Laying an ear against the warm metal, he listened as the various machines slowly whirred, the tips of his razor-sharp claws gently tapping out their own rhythm against the side of his thigh. Completely focused, every conscious thought in his head vanished, pure animalistic instinct taking the reins.

He was no longer a super powered teenager, undergoing a rescue mission in order to save two of his friends.

He was a dangerous creature, poised and ready to battle. And as he stood there, not even bothering to draw a breath, one last thought entered his mind, forcing him to bite back a snarl that was fighting to escape.

It didn't matter anymore that he was on a ship that was preparing to leave the Earth's atmosphere. It didn't matter that he was trying to be as quiet as possible. It didn't matter that Cyborg and Robin were stuck on the ground, being able to do nothing other than hope he would succeed.

The only important thing to him at that moment was the next sentence that he would hear.

Because that sentence alone would decide whether or not the two on the other side of the vent would survive their encounter with The Beast.

**XxX**

Robin and Cyborg both watched silently as the mysterious animal disappeared from their sight, not looking back as it clawed its way further into the underside of the ship. The dust cloud from earlier had now cleared completely, showing no sign of the gargantuan ocean creature which had been its cause.

Cyborg rubbed a hand absently across his chin, glancing down at the small screen on his newly attached arm. Beside him, Robin kept his gaze locked on the ship; more specifically the gaping hole that Beast Boy had left in his wake.

Cyborg sighed, his hand dropping back down to his still unattached leg. The foot had been melted off almost completely, and unlike his arm the cybernetics had been severely damaged. Still, the teenager would have to screw it back on sooner or later, unless he planned on getting everywhere by hopping.

"My scanners ain't picking up anything from that thing." He announced, drawing the Boy Wonder's attention. Even though he couldn't see them, Cyborg was sure that his eyes were narrowed behind the mask that obscured much of his face.

"What do you mean?" He asked, glancing back towards the hole in the ship; the only evidence that the odd creature wasn't just a hallucination caused by fatigue. "It obviously wasn't human."

"That's the thing, man." Cyborg said, retrieving a spanner from a compartment in his arm. "When I tried to get a read on it, the closest thing I could match it to WAS human."

"That can't be right." Robin declared, in a tone that was all business. "That doesn't make sense. Clearly that was no human."

"Well, I dunno what to tell you, man." Cyborg shrugged, his attention lingering on his leg as he began reconnecting the limb. "My scanners don't lie, and they were telling me that that thing was human. So, unless whoever it was up there has been altered in some way there's something wrong with my systems."

"When was the last time your scanners were wrong?" Robin asked, absently handing a small screw that he had uncovered earlier to the metallic teen.

Cyborg accepted the screw graciously, carefully adding into the jumble of wrecked electronics that was his hip. "Apart from with that green kid earlier? I've never even had to deal with a bug, dude. I'm the most advanced computer you'll find on this continent. If there were a problem with my software, I'd know it."

Robin nodded, not having enough information on the topic to either agree or disagree with the boy in front of him.

True, he'd been trained by the world's greatest detective in a lot of areas, technology included. But he wasn't about to start an argument over glitches with a person who was made of the tech in question.

He wasn't stupid, and right now he wasn't smart. But he was willing to learn.

"Hold on." Robin said suddenly, a thought striking him out of nowhere. "That shark earlier. Did your scanners manage to get it?"

"You mean that thing that tore the cannon right off of the ship?" Cyborg said, his voice taking an impressed tone despite the obvious sarcasm behind the remark. "No, I didn't. But I can tell you that I am 100% certain that it kicked serious ass. "

Robin ignored the overly-fan boyish remark, his gaze drifting back to the large crater in the street not too far from them. The outline of the massive dent was almost perfect. There were even a few holes in the ground where the shark's teeth must have impacted.

"That thing must have been thirty meters long. Maybe even up to forty. It's teeth were powerful enough to tear through metal that was designed to withstand the void of space, and there are none of them stuck in the ground after the impact, even though sharks are well known for losing and regrowing their teeth. Strangely enough, it didn't come from the water, it came from the clouds. Not to mention the most important part; it's gone."

"So? I was just gonna write it down as one of God's miracles and move on with my life." Cyborg shrugged, doing a marvellous job of sounding convincing despite the obvious sarcasm the sentence was intended to convey. "Still, I'm not seeing how any of this is relevant."

"How do you not see? Were your eyes damaged in the blast too?" Robin exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to alleviate the intense disbelief circling around his brain. "A green Tyrannosaurus Rex appears in the middle of the city on the same night a ginormous green shark does? And now we have whatever that thing was earlier, attacking the ship. And can you guess what colour it was?"

It took Cyborg a lot longer than he would ever like to admit to finally catch on to what Robin was saying. "Well, I didn't get a really good look at it, but I'm going to guess-"

"Green? Yeah, you'd be correct." Robin interjected, cutting the still-caught-in-denial teen off. "Looks like we need to hurry up."

"What?" Cyborg muttered, his eyes staring blankly at the megalodon indent in the street a bit further ahead. "You're telling me that that green kid did this…?"

"Focus!" Robin called, snapping Cyborg out of his shock induced daydream. "We need to put you back together and secure a better location, now!"

"Wait, what? Why?"

Robin sighed in annoyance, pointing a single hand towards the still incredibly discernible alien spacecraft above them. "Because I don't know what that boy is capable of, other then turn into animals. And if his claws are strong enough to cut through their ship, they're going to want to capture him as well. Right now, we've either got to be trying to assist them from here, which would be useless, or we can prepare for a fight, and maybe win this thing. And I don't care how strongly you politely decline my idea, it's going to happen."

"Wait." Cyborg said, deciding against starting an argument with the spiky-haired teen in front of him. "Prepare for a fight? You just said it'd be impossible to get up there, how are we supposed to participate in any fighting?"

Right as the words had left the mechanical teenager's mouth, the sky above their heads lit up, a spectacular mixture of sparks and flames billowing out of a brand new hole in the centre of the ship. As both boys whipped their heads up, the sound of the explosion hit their ears, the dust settled around them being kicked up as the ground beneath their feet shook.

Covering his eyes with one hand, Robin glared up at the ship, his eyes straining against the incredible light being emitted. Smoke and flames were all that were visible from his vantage point of the ground, the explosion having apparently ripped the entirety of that section of the ship to shreds. As the Boy Wonder watched, the ship lowly began losing altitude, the front tipping forward to face the water in the start of a dangerous nosedive.

"Because," the Boy Wonder began, turning away from the sinking ship, "I knew something like this would happen."

Cyborg didn't bother answering; his attention was focused entirely on reattaching his leg as quickly as possible, all the while watching as the ship fell from the sky.

**XxX**

Beast Boy stood completely still, his ear flush against the side of the vent. His body was beginning to heat up, the close proximity of the scorching metal in front of him doing nothing to help with the uncomfortable temperature. Despite the incalescence of the air around him and the headache inducing thrum of the powerful engine meters away, he refused to put any distance between himself and the torturous alloy, lest he miss the next sentence that was uttered by the oblivious, insufferable pair.

He hoped that he'd like the next set of words that would escape their lips. For their sake, of course.

"You know." The first Gordanian, whom Beast Boy had quickly labelled the stupider of the two, said quietly, "The Citadel doesn't usually check for stuff like that. If we wanted to, we could probably sneak into their cell right now and enjoy ourselves a bit."

He didn't like that set of words. Not one bit.

The Beast's eyelids dropped into a deadly glare, the hand that was tapping against his thigh tightening to the point of drawing blood. Rage, the likes of which he hadn't felt in over a year, was coursing through his veins, heating the blood that was now pounding in his ears.

For the first time in months, he felt the discipline over the monstrous form he was controlling begin to slip, his mind filling with the familiar fog. If he wasn't careful from this point on, there was no guarantee that he would be able to stop himself from rampaging through the entire ship.

If he did, he knew that more than two Gordanian soldiers would not survive.

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to care.

Back when the team had met Starfire the first time, she had commented that The Citadel were 'not nice'. She'd no doubt known of their plans, yet had described them as though their most major crime was slapping ugly children.

She'd broken free from prison, and they'd saved her. Never once knowing of the secret she had decided to carry around with her, probably not telling anyone until after she had been sent to her grave. And now here she was, trapped in the same situation, although this time Raven had been dragged into her suffering as well.

All because he'd failed to keep them safe.

_'What was the point of coming back if I fuck it all up right at the beginning!?'_

"You're possibly right." The second Gordanian commented, completely unaware of the ten foot behemoth that was currently planning on ending his life, painfully. "Though it would be unwise to shirk this responsibility. This job is very important."

Beast Boy could feel every last human thought leaving his head, his pupil-free eyes narrowing even further than before.

Everything was gone. The self-loathing, the disgust, the horror.

All that was left was the punishment of the two who had even considered doing 'not nice' things to the two girls that he would happily refer to as sisters.

Pulling his serrated knives that doubled for claws out of his own thigh, The Beast didn't even so much as wince as blood began raining out of the deep gashes, colouring the dull grey floor in a puddle of red.

Bringing his hand back, The Beast took a step away from the side of the vent, his arm positioned directly in front of him. With a low growl, he swung, the large talons of his fingers aimed directly in front of his face. He'd destroy the wall, dispose of these two idiots, and then tear the entire ship apart before anyone else could figure out what was going on. It wasn't something he'd normally consider doing, that was true.

But he was no longer in control of the Beast's actions.

That was the plan, anyway.

His fingertips mere centimetres away, The Beast stopped, even his fur freezing completely in place. He'd been ready to rip everything to shreds, including and especially Trogaar. But here he stood, completely still, as a single, familiar, lone voice called out to him inside his own head.

_'Run.'_

Without a second glance, The Beast spun on his heel, his powerful legs carrying him further down the vent with each passing millisecond. He'd almost given away his cover, endangering the girls in the process. But he didn't care about that.

He'd been told to leave, he was leaving. It didn't matter what the situation. His instincts had told him what to do, and The Beast always listened to his instincts.

Because when he didn't, the wrong people would end up dead. He'd had to learn that the hard way.

Less than a second after The Beast had vacated his previous spot, a massive explosion rocked the ship, the vent imploding in on itself as flames ruptured the already superheated steel. Feeling the calefaction of the air against his backside, The Beast sped up, claws sliding back and he switched to four legs. If Beast Boy were in his right mind, he probably would have shifted into something that had more speed.

Beast Boy wasn't in his mind, though.

Slowly, the fire began dispersing from behind him, flames winking away into nothingness. The Beast began slowing down, eventually coming a rest against the side of the vent. His chest heaved as he gulped in massive breath after massive breath or stinging air, wiping the soot from his back as he did so. He must have run half the length of the ship before the flames eventually died out, his muscles still aching from their earlier exhaustion.

Still, he had no time to rest.

Hauling himself back to his feet, The Beast cautiously began making his way back the way he had come. Each step on the partially melted floor was met with a small whimper of pain from the fearsome animal, causing him to make his way back to the engine room faster and faster. The atmosphere was disgusting, small clouds of smoke still lingering in the air as it began escaping the vent through any opening possible.

Reaching the partially melted metal that was his doorway into the engine room, The Beast waved a hand in front of his face, clearing a small patch oxygen within the sea of carbon dioxide. Sucking in as much air as possible, The Beast ventured into the dark cloud of smog, every available sense working on finding a way through to the doorway.

Without warning, a small groan registered within The Beast's eardrum, causing the Titan to look down in surprise. There, lying at his feet, was a badly burned Gordanian soldier, spear held protectively in front of him. As the animal watched, his chest slowly heaved, indicating that the alien was somehow still alive, despite much of the metal around him having melted, including most of the floor.

"Gaaahhh…" The Gordanian moaned, sucking down another painful sounding breath. Seemingly on their own, four long claws extended from the tips of The Beast's fingers, as he knelt down beside the fallen soldier, one hand brought lightly to his throat.

He could kill him now. Rip out his vocal chords, severe some arteries. Cause him more pain than any explosion would ever be able to. It was too bad that he couldn't see the second soldier anywhere within the room.

That way he could punish them both. Though death was still too good for them.

The Beast growled in triumph, one single finger against the scaly skin of the heavily wounded alien. One quick slice. That would be all it would take. He would be a hero.

_'Hero…'_

The word floated around The Beast's mind, causing his to pause, one finger still against the green throat below him. Why did it sound so familiar?

_'You're a hero… Heroes don't…kill…'_

The Beast snarled in annoyance, pressing his finger against the side of the Gordanian's neck. The edge of his claw brushed against the scaly green skin, the simple contact enough to draw a thin line of blood.

Why did _he_ have to appear every time, whenever The Beast got close enough to smell the flesh of his prey?

_'They need me… The girls…You're supposed… To protect…Aren't you?'_

The Beast paused again, the words barely a whisper in the sea of bloodlust within his psyche. The girls. They needed him.

Of course. How could he forget?

Slowly, The Beast's furry body began to shrink, bristly fur receding back into green skin. The claws began to disappear, immediately being replaced with blunter, though still deadly, pointed fingernails. His teeth shrank back into his gums, pupils beginning to re-emerge from the milky sea of nothingness within his eyes.

Beast Boy slowly rose to his feet, a blank look on his face. One hand clenched into a fist, he looked down at the Gordanian soldier who had been caught in the blast, noting the pained expression on his face with some form of sadistic satisfaction. Without a word, he turned around, morphing into a green cheetah as he sprinted through the mostly dispersed cloud of smoke, towards the badly damaged door.

Even if he wasn't going to kill him, there was no way in hell he'd attempt to save him from the falling ship.

As he ran through into the hallway outside, he failed to notice the dark cloaked figure with a neutral expression on his face, standing in the corner of the room, a detonator in one of his gloved hands and a camera in the other.

**XxX**

"You are unable to rid yourself of these restraints?"

Raven nodded, a spark of fear crossing her otherwise stoic features. Her handcuffs, which were beginning to cut into her wrists, were not responding to her powers what-so-ever. Giving a sigh of mixed annoyance and exhaustion, she bathed the intrusive objects in dark energy yet again, every bit of her soul searching for a weakness in the seemingly indestructible objects.

"It's not possible. The molecular structure is too dense for me to rip them apart with sheer force, and there are no weak points or openings that I can pinpoint and exploit." Raven sighed, her head dropping slightly from exhaustion. Ever since the two had heard the explosion a minute ago, they'd been trying ceaselessly to free themselves. Raven had quickly found herself to be drained, her mind far too preoccupied to be able to use her powers fully. That meant no levitation and, even more unfortunate, no teleportation.

Starfire slammed her hands down hard on the ground, forming a small crater underneath where the handcuffs impacted. The cell they were being held in wobbled slightly from the force of the impact, though very little of the damage inflicted was to the handcuffs.

"Are you able to knock the door down? Maybe we can escape first, then get rid of the handcuffs." Raven suggested, Lifting her head from its hung position. "If we don't get out of here soon, we're going to be stuck."

"Even if I were to destroy the entryway, it would do us little good." Starfire grunted, glaring down at her handcuffs as her eyes flared green. "The restraints are very heavy. I doubt you will be able to lift them should we escape, and I will not be able to carry you without my ability to fly. We shall be stuck here, until when I can not say."

"So, you're saying we need to be rescued?" Raven asked, earning a stiff nod from her companion.

"It may hurt to admit so, but we are left with no other options. Until one of us is able to break these vile contraptions, we must rely on others."

"What others?" Raven asked, desperation slipping into her monotone unbidden. "We're on an alien ship about to take off. Right now there's a better chance of being hit in the head with a flying elephant than being rescued."

Just as the words had left the empaths' mouth, a loud crunch could be heard outside the cell, a scream of pain audible not a second later. The scream quickly grew louder and louder, until a single Gordanian soldier slammed back first into the cell door, leaving a large dent in the cold metal.

"Oooowwww…No! NO NO NO! Not the face! Anything but the face! Noooo-"

Starfire instinctively took a step back, dragging the immobile Raven back with her, as the door was quite literally blown off its hinges. It sailed over the girls' heads, slamming into the back wall with enough force to wedge it into the crater that it created.

The Gordanian soldier, presumably the one that had been screaming, flew through the air, landing with a thump a few feet in front of the girls. He looked like he had been through hell, half of his scaly body covered in scratches and bruises, the biggest easily discernible on his forehead. With a sniffle, he opened his one un-swollen eye, letting the moisture that had been building up escape as he stared towards his captives.

"An elephant hurt my head!" The Gordanian soldier cried up at them…literally.

Ignoring the sobbing alien at their feet, Raven and Starfire looked up at the newly destroyed doorway, feeling their jaws drop in the process. In the middle of the corridor stood a jade green elephant, unconscious Gordanians littering the walls beside it. As they watched, the elephant shrank down, its front legs changing back into arms as the tusks withdrew into his face. Before long, a teenager stood where the large animal once did, a look of annoyed anger on his face.

"Oh, walk it off." Beast Boy growled at the sobbing Gordanian, marching his way into the cell. Without looking at the girls, he walked over to the Gordanian guard - who was still mumbling in between his sobs from the floor - kicking him once across the side of the head.

"OW! I'm telling Trogaar!" The Guard screamed up at Beast Boy, only to receive a second, much harder kick across the face.

"Damn resilient bastards…" Beast Boy grunted, his injured leg threatening to collapse underneath him. Turning to the two other occupants of the cell, he let an easy grin spread across his face, despite the thin trail of blood that was running from the corner of his mouth.

"Miss me?"

"That was…" Starfire began, looking down at the unconscious Gordanian at her feet.

"Excessive?" Raven finished, her eyes fixed on the massive, bleeding gash across Beast Boy's stomach.

"They'll get over it, I'm sure." Beast Boy responded, carelessly kicking the guard out of the way with his uninjured leg. Kneeling down in front of Raven, he took her arm in one hand, immediately feeling her tense up beneath his touch.

"I don't have any fancy lock picking equipment." He explained to the Gothic girl, whose cheeks had taken a slightly pink tinge, "so you're gonna have to stay really still, alright?"

"You plan on removing these restraints?" Starfire snorted, holding her handcuffs up in a mocking gesture. "I wish you luck, human."

"I don't need luck." Beast Boy informed her, his hand a blur as he swiped it across the handcuffs. "And I'm not entirely human."

A second later, three large gashes appeared on their surface, each being a few centimetres deep. Within the blink of an eye, identical marks had appeared on Starfire's handcuffs, the Tamaranian's eye widening as the wind generated from the swing whipped her hair across her face.

"Damn." Beast Boy muttered, glancing down at his gloveless hands. "Looks like these things are tougher to crack then the rest of this ship."

Raven gulped inaudibly, her gaze stuck on the razor sharp nails of the boy in front of her. They looked sharp enough to cut through diamonds, and after what he'd just done to the handcuffs, she had no doubt that they probably were.

"Will that be enough for you two to free yourselves?" Beast Boy asked, snapping Raven out of her trance. "Because I've actually lost a fair bit of blood, so it's probably only a matter of time before…I…Uh oh."

Beast Boy swayed slightly on his feet, his injured leg finally giving out from underneath him. Crumpling to the ground, his head connected harshly with solid metal for the umpteenth time that day, his ears barely registering the sounds of the girls tearing the handcuffs apart with their respective powers.

"Oh, one more thing." Beast Boy mumbled, feeling Starfire pick him up bridal style. Ignoring he humiliation burning within his chest, Beast Boy shifted slightly, looking up towards two concerned faces. "The explosion earlier? That was the engine. So, there's every possibility that we're about to sink."

Beast Boy laughed lightly at the shared look of shock on the girls faces, the pain in his body slowly being replaced with the blissful darkness of unconsciousness.

Allowing himself to be dragged to sleep, Beast Boy's body relaxed, a small smile spreading across his lips. He wouldn't have been able to stop it if he tried.

He'd saved them. They were going to be alright.

Though, now they needed to save him.

"I fear he is…damaged." Starfire commented to Raven, as both girls began running towards the door.

Raven merely grunted, a small smile spreading across her face as she turned to look at the injured boy in the alien's grasp.

**XxX**

"Sir, we appear to be under attack."

Trogaar groaned, a single hand against his forehead. "Are we Captain? Are we really?"

"Sir, I am unaware if you are making an attempt at sarcasm or not. Please elaborate."

"Yes, Captain. Yes we are under attack." Trogaar growled, the hand against his face balling into a fist. "Please do tell me, what was your first clue? Was it our warning lights going off? Was it the screams of all the troops outside? Or was it perhaps the GIANT SHARK THAT FELL FROM THE SKY AND DETROYED PART OF MY PRECIOUS SHIP?!"

"Am I allowed to choose all of the above, Sir?"

Trogaar slammed his head onto one of the armrests of his chair, his fist landing forcefully on his knee. Just as it impacted, the ship shook violently, the slowly blinking lights immediately being joined by a loud siren.

"Sir! We appear to have lost our engine!"

"Oh really?" Trogaar hissed sarcastically.

"Yes, Sir. Awaiting instructions."

"I don't care." Trogaar moaned, raising his head slightly in order to slam it down again. "I've had it with this planet. I really don't care anymore."

"Roger, Sir. Proceeding not to care."

Trogaar raised his head again slightly, sending an ice glare in the direction of his second in command. "Why are you so stupid?"

"Are you making another attempt at sarcasm, Sir?"

Trogaar groaned once again, one hand forcefully connecting with his forehead. "No, no I wasn't."

"It is my duty to inform you that I don't care, Sir."

**XxX**

"Do you see them anywhere?"

Cyborg shook his head, raising the binoculars to his face yet again.

"Damn." Robin muttered, a scowl spreading across his face. "We only have this boat for another fifteen minutes! Where are they?!"

"Man, I stole this boat. Since when do we have a time limit?" Cyborg asked, handing the binoculars to the scowling former sidekick.

"Since I became uncomfortable committing a crime." Robin muttered, accepting the binoculars with a stiff nod. "Are you sure this is where the ship went down?"

Cyborg looked back towards the shore of the city that he had called home for the last few weeks, before nodding. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. We just gotta keep looking."

"I just want to know that they're alright. I should have been on that ship; I should have been able to do something!" Robin growled, slamming his free hand against the side of the small boat they were standing on.

"Relax man! There was nothing we could'a done! All we can do is find them, they'll be alright. Stop beating yourself up over it."

"I'm a hero. That's what I do." Robin muttered, scanning the surface of the ocean around them. "I just wish we had a sign, or something."

Cyborg nodded mutely, tapping the screen on his arm. After the two of them had seen the ship falling, they'd run directly for the docks. Finding an unoccupied boat had been a much appreciated stroke of luck, and hotwiring it had been a simple matter for the man made out of gadgetry. Fighting against the waves the ship had made when it was sinking had been exhausting, as had forcing Robin to stay on the boat, rather than jump out and try looking for them beneath the water.

In his state, he would end up drowning. Specialised training or not, he was still only human. Besides, Cyborg was almost entirely certain that the pretty redhead was the main reason for Robin's anxiety. He'd be sure to tease him about it endlessly afterwards. If he saw him again, that was.

And if the girl had even survi-

"There!" Robin suddenly cried, an arm stretched out over the waves. "They're over there!"

Cyborg's head snapped back up, his newly repaired mechanical eye zooming in as much as possible. Just as Robin had said, he could easily make out three figures, all of whom were resting on the small island that had been used to plant the gargantuan hologram device.

"I can have us over there under a minute."

Robin merely nodded, a small smile spreading across his face as he felt the boat begin to pick up speed.

**XxX**

"Yo!"

Starfire and Raven glanced up from Beast Boy's sleeping face, just in time to watch Cyborg trip over a stone near the shore. The large teen hit the sand, cursing the entire way.

"Argh! Stupid stone, you little motherfu- Hey!"

Robin pushed past Cyborg, sending the robot sprawling back down to the beach. Yelling obscenities after the spiky-haired teenager the entire way, he pushed himself back to his feet, sprinting up the coast faster than his damaged body would have suggested possible.

"We been looking all over for you! Are ya'll alright?" He called, slowing down as he neared them. The only persons' face that he could see was Robin, and the clear concern in his features made the robotic man speed up once more.

"What's wrong?" He asked, before catching sight of the unconscious Beast Boy. Immediately, Cyborg was on his knees beside him, scanning across his entire body.

"How long's he been out?" He asked, turning towards the closest person, who happened to be Raven. She merely shrugged, though her eyes never left the green boy.

"About ten minutes. His injuries have been healing on their own, but he won't wake up."

"What about Trogaar?" Robin asked, his eyes travelling towards Starfire. She immediately looked away, glancing towards where the Gordanian ship had sunk.

"We did not cross paths with him. Every enemy we came across had already been defeated."

"'Had already been defeated'? What do you-" Robin said, stopping himself midsentence. Turning his head towards the smiling Beast Boy on the ground, his face cracked into a small smile of his own, his eyes widening slightly behind his mask.

"Knew there was something about you, kid." Cyborg mumbled, tapping a few buttons on his arm. A second later he stood, gaining the full attention of the entire group.

"He'll be fine. He's just tired."

"He's sleeping?" Robin asked incredulously, whilst Raven and Starfire both let out small sighs of relief.

"He's resting, man. He just took on an entire spaceship full of aliens and won, I'd say he deserves it." Cyborg said, gazing out towards the bay. The water had calmed, small ripples being all that remained of the hectic waves that the alien ship had caused.

"Heh…thanks dude…" Beast Boy mumbled, slowly opening a single eye. Cracking a grin at the looks of relief that passed across the groups faces, he laughed lightly, his largest fang poking out of his mouth for the first time in months.

Tiredly, his laughter ceased, his other eye popping open slightly as well. He could see them all, crowded around him as he lay on the rocky ground.

Robin, sporting a genuine smile that was barely more than a smirk. Cyborg, whose grin left him looking like someone had hit him in the face with an axe. Raven, whose eyes seemed to sparkle with her tiny smile, her hood hanging forgotten behind her head. Starfire, who had both hands clasped in front of her, her grin seeming to light up the entire island.

His family, finally reunited.

"Dudes…" Beast Boy muttered, feeling his eyes close as beautiful unconsciousness began to claim him once again. Half asleep, he found himself smiling, as his body slowly began feeling lighter and lighter. For whatever reason, he knew that all their eyes were on him, forcing him to force his own open for a few extra seconds.

"We should totally do this again sometime!"

With that, Beast Boy's body relaxed, the sweet recesses of Dreamland once again claiming their latest victim.

** XxX**

"You failed."

The man cried out again as the electricity coursed through his body, his various metallic implants threatening to give out.

If they did, he would die. They all knew that.

"I…I didn't know that it would happen!" He gasped out, his body shuddering violently. The dark figure before him cocked their head to the side, a humourless laugh passing their lips.

"Your operative failed his mission. He was to take out the green boy, and make it look like an accident. Tell me, how many Gordanians perished?"

"I…I'm not sure." The man gasped, bracing himself for yet another shock.

It never came.

"All of them."

"All of them?"

"I will not repeat myself for you. Now I want you to tell me, how many green boys died today?"

The man groaned, partly from the intense pain he was in, partly from the treatment he was receiving, and partly from the obvious insults to his overwhelming intelligence. "None."

"Exactly. Normally for such a monumental failure, you would be disposed of like the trash you are. However, you are lucky."

The man flinched, his head raising slightly. "L-lucky?"

"Yes. It appears as though my master has need for your…abilities. He has another job for you, and this time you will not fail. Understood?"

The man nodded quickly, sweat flying from his forehead. "I understand."

The dark figure nodded once, a sinister smile spreading across its lips. "Good. Your target is in Jump City. Once you arrive, you shall receive further instructions."

The man nodded again, mentally thanking every single lucky star he could think of. "I'll leave right away."

"You do that. Oh, and Brother?"

The man paused, turning back to the dark figure in front of him. "Y-yes?"

"Do not fail again. My master will not be so kind next time, should you do."

The man gulped silently, nodding rapidly in response.

"Good. Now begone."

**XxX**

Hey hey hey, what'd you think?

Well, I've got a couple of things to say here, so I'll get right to them.

First off, Congratz to Mr. Guest (I still love that username, seriously), Zinnia99 (I'll give it to you, you were close enough) and LiumD (Again, close enough) for correctly guessing (or almost) megalodon for the first animal!

Also, well done Zinnia99 a second time for figuring out that it was indeed The Beast!

I'm really sorry though, I ate all your imaginary cookie prizes. Now I'm going to get imaginary fat, then nobody will imaginary love me, and then I'll imaginary die alone with my imaginary cats!

Just kidding, all that will happen even if I didn't eat them.

Alright, secondly!

Kamikazamikamizaki24 (nailed it), you mentioned something about it being understandable that Beast Boy and Raven would not find interest in one another, and I completely agree with you. However…no.

Beast Boy and Raven has forever been my favourite ship. They are light and dark, day and night. Hell, they're complete opposites.

And that is why they're perfect together.

Their relationship is _interesting_. There are not many authors out there who seem to realise this, but it really is. There are so many possibilities to explore (such as what would happen between them if Beast Boy were to travel back into the past when he's a shit load stronger). It's not always 'Oh, I luv rave. whn did tht hpn lol' Or 'I cnt luv bb ys u cn lol sht up noleg nd luv u stoopid.'

Yeah, there are some people who actually upload fics like that. It's abysmal.

Getting back on track, they are my favourite couple. You can go so many different directions with it, even if one is overwhelmingly popular.

I hope that answers your questions, because I'm going to stop here before I insult someone and their ship. Because trust me, it will happen.

Alright, apologies for the A/N. I'm sorry for boring you all, my little X-Dressers!

But even so, before you leave why not drop a review? I'd love to get some feedback on the chapter; I spent a lot of time on it!

Till next time!

Peace!

_**X**_


	5. Chapter 4 - Sudsy Storm

Greetings and salutations, my dear X-Dressers.

So, a new update. It took me a little longer than I originally thought, not to mention it's probably the shortest chapter as of yet, but oh well.

I think it may be time to calm the fic down a little, seeing as up to this point it's been basically non-stop action. Also, there is a bit of a time skip since the last chapter. I'm telling you now in order to prevent confusion.

You're welcome.

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned Teen Titans, but then again I can't draw for shit, so it's probably a good thing I don't.**

**XxX**

_Chapter four – Sudsy Storm  
_

"Beast Boy! Hurry up, we've got training in ten minutes!"

"I know, dude!"

"If you know then why are you choosin' now to take a shower?"

"It's routine, Cy!" Beast Boy called, his sensitive ears picking up the sigh of annoyance that followed his proclamation. "I can't just break routine!"

"Whatever, ya weirdo." Cyborg called back, his heavy footsteps already making their way down the corridor. "Just don't take too long, you know how Rob gets."

"Yeah, dude." Beast Boy yelled, one hand already below the faucet as the other turned the tap. Cupping both hands below the torrent of heated water, Beast Boy brought his face down to the sink.

With a single, unanimous flick of both wrists, Beast Boy briefly held his breath. Feeling the water hitting his face, he instinctively closed his eyes, his nostrils scrunching together in order to guard against any intruding liquid. Raising a hand to his now damp face, he wiped the water away from his eyes, rubbing the last of the sleep away from his consciousness.

"Much better." Beast Boy mumbled to himself, taking a moment to flash a toothy grin towards his own reflection. His hair, which had been unfortunate enough to be caught in the deluge of tap water, was now glued to his forehead, some of the longer strands stretching down to obscure his vision.

Swiping a towel from the cupboard below the sink, Beast Boy carefully hung it from the hook on the back of the bathroom door, pausing for a moment to ensure that he remembered to bring along a spare uniform to change into. Satisfied, he stepped towards the shower, one hand reaching for the taps.

_'Wait.'_ A small voice sounded from the back of his head, causing Beast Boy to freeze in his tracks. Cautiously, he threw a swift look over his shoulder, only to find the bathroom door still shut and locked securely. Raising his nose to the air, he sniffed once, his brain working to decode the various scents from one another.

Soap, metal, a little bit of mould.

Nothing distinctly human or Tamaranian. He was alone.

So why did it feel as though he were being watched?

Beast Boy took a step away from the shower, his eyes darting from wall to wall. He couldn't see anything out of place, nor could he smell whoever was supposedly intruding on him.

"Where are you?" Beast Boy mumbled, his eyes raking across every inch of the room. Turning back towards the shower, a small flash of light caught the edge of his eye, his entire body turning towards the abnormality automatically.

Nothing.

Beast Boy frowned, his eyebrows scrunching down in thought. His eyes didn't normally let him down, and try as he might he couldn't ignore the annoying buzzing in the back of his head.

It was almost as though the many animals coursing through his veins knew something he didn't.

Shifting into a dragonfly, Beast Boy approached the wall slowly, his compounded eyes slowly moving from left to right. Buzzing up to the ceiling, he flew sideways, his superior eyesight scanning each centimetre of marble individually.

_'Tile, tile, tile, tile, lens, tile…wait!'_

The small green froze mid-flight, the miniature cogs in its brain sparking dangerously. Within the blink of an eye, it had flitted back less than ten centimetres, its sights set on the tiny, inconspicuous protrusion.

_'But who would have put a camera in the bathroom?'_ Beast Boy wondered to himself, resuming his human form as he hooked a single fingernail behind the intrusive object. With a casual flex, the camera was lying face up in his hand, the puny wires that had been used to anchor the infinitesimal device to the wall completely severed.

Beast Boy turned the object over in his hand, barely feeling the weight of the device against his palm as it moved. The back of the camera was completely black, apart from a strange yellow pattern. Rotating the camera in his hand, Beast Boy tilted his head slightly, the brightly coloured letter finally making itself apparent to his vision.

"Is he kidding me?" Beast Boy muttered, gazing down at the yellow 'R' on the recently destroyed camera. Shaking his head, Beast Boy closed his fist, feeling the camera break apart in his firm grip.

"I'm going to have to talk to him about that." Beast Boy said to himself, opening his hand. The remnants of the camera rained from his recently uncurled fist, small flecks of metal and wires falling to the impeccably clean floor.

It wasn't the first camera Beast Boy had uncovered, and chances were that it wouldn't be the last.

Stepping back towards the shower, Beast Boy reached in, one hand turning the taps as the other tested the water. Finding a suitable temperature, Beast Boy nodded to himself, tugging his shirt over his head and throwing it to the floor.

Tugging his pants down, Beast Boy's eyes travelled back to the destroyed camera, his mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. The camera had been faced away from the shower, towards the door.

So Robin wasn't trying to perv on the girls.

_'Or the boys.' _ Beast Boy's mind added in, causing the boy to snicker quietly.

Who knew? Maybe his infatuation with Starfire was all just a cover-up.

_'Still though.'_ Beast Boy thought, sliding his boxers down his legs and kicking them towards the pile of his recently discarded clothes. _'It's been three months. He should at least trust us enough to let us use the bathroom in peace.'_

Stepping into the shower, Beast Boy shivered, his mind drifting back to his paranoid leader as he adjusted the temperature of the water slightly.

Robin had been remarkably similar to how Beast Boy had last seen him, apart from the fact that last time he'd been a shattered statue. Beast Boy could still remember fondly how the Titans had formed the first time around. It had taken a little getting used to; suddenly living with four other teenagers who they'd just met. Their personalities had clashed repeatedly (sometimes painfully), and yet through it all they had remained the best of friends.

Even so, none of them had really reacted how Beast Boy would have predicted.

Robin had always been a mystery to Beast Boy. The youth had never taken his mask off, even going so far as to sleep wearing it. His real name had never been disclosed, nor had his favourite food. Nothing about his personal life, apart from his massive crush on Starfire, had ever really come to light. Beast Boy had expected him to shut himself away from the world, busying himself over paperwork or obsessively plotting out the next obstacle course the Titans would use to train.

Surprisingly, he had done neither.

The Titan leader had been remarkable open with his new friends, even going so far as to tell them his real name about a month ago, after they had all finished watching a movie and had wanted to kill some time before going to sleep.

Beast Boy couldn't help but chuckle, remembering exactly how Starfire had reacted to that precious piece of information.

_"I do not understand, why would your parents wish to name you after the male reproductive organ?"_

The battlefield had been a slightly different story. Being the only two Titans with any experience in combat, Beast Boy and Robin would normally find themselves alone in battle, the other three not having a clue what to do. They'd rapidly been improving, though every now and again someone would slip up and get caught in some form of danger. Of course, any time Starfire would be the one to get hurt Robin would always end the fight quickly and mercilessly, often with the villain in question begging for prison.

Squeezing some shampoo into one hand, Beast Boy absently turned the tap with the other, his mind still far away from the shower.

Why did Starfire end up getting hurt? She was from another planet, which according to her own stories was frequently torn apart by war. She'd probably been trained from a young age to be a warrior, to show absolutely no mercy and to decimate opponents.

_'That's probably why.'_ The rational part of Beast Boy's brain piped up_, 'mercy is new to her, she's still adjusting how viciously she fights.'_

Beast Boy nodded dumbly to himself, his eyes almost seeming glazed as he stared intently at the shower wall. His brain was right, probably.

Whilst the girl hadn't been as different as Robin, there were still noticeable changes in her behaviour. Frequently, Beast Boy would often walk past Raven's door, only to hear Starfire babbling on about something in a dramatically hushed whisper, as if she were talking endlessly into a pillow.

When had she and Raven become that close? Beast Boy didn't know. Maybe it was inevitable, with the two of them being the only girls in the tower. Maybe something had happened on the Gordanian ship. He'd had many different theories, though none of them had lasted more than a few days at most.

_'Probably gossiping about Robin.'_ Beast Boy's mind offered, earning a grunt in reply. After all, it was entirely possible that was the case.

Every time Starfire had a new question about Earth culture, or Earth food, or Earth physics, she would always seek out the guidance of the Titan leader. Whenever the team would be watching a movie, the two would always be in the centre of the couch, sitting a lot closer than two people who were 'just friends' would. In battle, they were always watching each other's backs, never once letting an enemy get close to harming the other.

_'They're closer than Cy and I are, and that's saying something.'_ Beast Boy mused to himself, stepping back to wash the shampoo out of his hair. The two were incredibly close, that much was obvious to everyone.

Though only the two in question didn't seem to realise just how close they actually were. Still, that wasn't new.

"BB!" Cyborg barked randomly, his ridiculously loud knocking startling the green teenager out of his thoughts. "You have three minutes! Any longer and Raven has already agreed to portal you into the training room, clothes or not!"

"No she hasn't!" Beast Boy called back, shutting the water off temporarily to wait for a response. From beyond the door, he could hear Cyborg mutter a curse, one hand tapping rapidly against the wall.

"Fine! She hasn't! But if you don't hurry up then Robin will find a way to convince her!"

"You got it, dude!" Beast Boy yelled, waiting until Cyborg's footsteps were no longer in earshot before turning the water back on. Fiddling with the taps, he drew it closer and closer to the desired temperature, his thoughts once again leaving the shower; drifting closer and closer towards the teenagers he called family.

Cyborg was by far the Titan he was closest to. The mechanical teen himself had once told him, before the Brotherhood incident, that he was the first person to ever accept him, metal and all. At the time, Beast Boy had simply shrugged him off, not believing a single word the larger boy had said.

After all, who wouldn't have accepted _Cyborg_? He was totally awesome! He could shoot lasers and rockets, not to mention pick up and swing a building. What wasn't to like about him?

Beast Boy frowned, tilting his head to avoid letting the water enter his eyes. Cyborg hadn't corrected him, waiting for months before even mentioning just how horrible his past had been, before he met the Titans.

Why had Cyborg never told him? His own brother, more or less.

Beast Boy shook his head, clearing the negative thoughts away. He'd been a kid back then, an idiotic fourteen year old that, no matter what, always held on to a ridiculously vast amount of optimism for every little thing in life.

Cyborg wouldn't have wanted to ruin that by forcing him to face the truth. Not when it could be avoided.

But did that mean Cyborg thought he was too weak?

Beast Boy's head connected with the cold wall, a dull ache spreading from the point where his skull connected with the cold tile.

No, Cyborg would never have assumed he was weak. Would he?

He was nowhere near the mechanical teen himself or Starfire when it came to strength. Robin could easily defeat him if it ever came to hand to hand combat. Not to mention Raven.

Beast Boy felt a shiver run down his spine, despite the fact that he was currently situated under a torrent of close to scalding water.

Raven, with the devil himself being her father. Raven, whose abilities could probably surpass that of the most powerful in the Justice League.

Raven, the key to the apocalypse. The apocalypse that the Titans would end.

If he ever found himself in direct combat with her, he'd be lucky to return in less than three pieces.

Beast Boy brought a hand to his face, rubbing the forming bruise on his forehead as he reached for the conditioner. He'd made an honest attempt this time around to do everything right. Meticulously making sure that he never mentioned anything that had yet to happen on his second trip through this particular section of the calendar.

And yet, Raven seemed…different.

Apart from Starfire's haphazard visits, she still spent most of her time alone within the confines of her room, which seemed to have been decorated with the intent of scaring any nosy teammates away. She still rarely smiled, even when the rest of the Titans would be in hysterics around her. She still read book after book, barely tearing her eyes away from the pages long enough to acknowledge everyone else's existence.

And yet, she seemed more…open.

Beast Boy wasn't stupid. He may have experienced a fair bit of ignorance in his youth, but that trait was quickly vanishing as the changeling grew older. He'd been aware, even as a fourteen year old, how annoying his constant jokes and pranks had been for Raven, not to mention the rest of the team.

Even so, he never once let up. He was having way too much fun to do that.

This time around, however, he'd rapidly discovered that where an unrelenting tirade of lacklustre jokes had failed repeatedly, intelligent conversation was overwhelmingly successful.

Beast Boy smiled, memories of his last conversation with the resident empath flashing to the forefront of his mind. He could still clearly remember the look on her face, as he simultaneously captured her king and confessed his favourite poem to her.  
_  
"You've read 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe, right? Oh, by the way, checkmate."_

The way her eyes had widened and her jaw slackened had reminded Beast Boy of the first time he'd beaten her in a game of chess. It had been a month into the forming of the team, and had also been one of the first times Raven had ventured out of her room without prompting.

**XxX**

_"Where did you learn to play like that?" Raven had asked, her eyes wide as she stared down at the table. Her book of poetry all but forgotten, she had leant over the board, counting the amount of black pieces still left standing._

_"I've had a lot of practise." Beast Boy shrugged nonchalantly, eyeing the white pieces on the board, which he had insisted Raven use._

_"Against who?" Raven had asked, her eyes narrowed slightly as she stared across the table, almost as though she were trying to see the his words in the air, and determine whether they were true or not._

_Beast Boy swung his legs around his seat, his feet landing silently on the ground. Brushing himself off, he lightly picked up Raven's book, pretending not to notice as her eyes flashed red briefly._

_"A telepath." He answered, secretly savouring the brief look of confused shock that flitted across the purple haired girl's face. "This looks interesting. Mind if I borrow it?"_

**XxX**

Beast Boy giggled, washing the last of the conditioner from his hair as he reached for the soap. He'd learnt quite early on that getting a reaction out of the half-demon was incredibly fun, especially when it wasn't immediately followed by a sharp pain and water filling his lungs.

Still, he couldn't ignore the feeling that there was something he was missing.

Apart from him, they were all physically identical to their past selves. They walked, talked, and acted exactly the same. But there was definitely something there, something that he could see in their eyes (or in Robin's case, body language) that was different to him.

The way they looked at him, there was something different, something that hadn't been there back when he was still shorter than Robin. It made him feel as though he were…important. As though he were respectable.

Beast Boy's mind clicked, his head shooting involuntarily up into the centre of the luxurious water. The way Robin and Raven would address him, sometimes even the way Starfire and Cyborg would talk to him. All of them, their eyes and bodies speaking truths that their mouths never would.

Beast Boy frowned, washing the last of the soap off of his body. The suds flowed down his legs, circling the drain before ultimately disappearing from his sight.

_'I suppose I can't really blame them.'_ He mused, sighing as he shut the water off. _'I didn't really give them much reason to respect me back then, even as a teammate.'  
_  
Stepping out of the shower, Beast Boy grabbed his towel, momentarily swinging it around his shoulders as he grabbed his toothbrush. Reaching for the toothpaste with one hand, Beast Boy grabbed a corner of his towel in the other, raising it towards his hair.

"BB!" Cyborg hollered disrespectfully, slamming a metal fist against the bathroom door. "You're out of time, and I ain't dealin' with Robin! HURRY UP!"

Beast Boy jumped, momentarily loosening his grip on his towel and toothbrush. Sending both objects to the ground, Beast Boy placed the toothpaste gently beside the sink, silently willing his heart to calm down.

He'd been so deep in thought, he'd completely missed Cyborg's approaching footsteps.

He could almost feel the many animals that shared his body laughing mockingly at him as he bent down to pick his towel and toothbrush up.

"You hear me, B?" Cyborg called, his voice betraying his concern as he rapped the door with a single mechanical knuckle.

"Uh, yeah dude!" Beast Boy called back, abandoning his toothbrush as he began to dry himself off. "You just surprised me, I'm fine."

"Alright." Cyborg said, his shrug almost finding a way into his voice. "But Robin wants you in the training room, like, yesterday. So move it!"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, rubbing the towel across his arm as Cyborg's footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Finally satisfied with the level of liquid that remained on his skin, Beast Boy transformed, his body becoming furry as his arms slowly devolved into legs.

The green Chihuahua padded across the floor of the bathroom, coming to a stop directly over the centre of the recently abandoned towel. Shaking its body violently, water began flying in every direction, coating everything that wasn't covered with the towel in droplets of the cooling fluid.

Resuming human form, Beast Boy stretched his arms above his head, kicking the towel towards the pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the room. Sliding his boxers and pants over his legs in mere seconds, he grabbed his top, making sure to turn the light off as he walked out into the corridor. Throwing his top over his head, Beast Boy took off at a brisk run, all thoughts turned towards making up an excuse in order to avoid punishment for his tardiness.

**XxX**

"Where is he?"

Cyborg shrugged, one hand tapping furiously on the screen in his arm.

"I dunno, man." He informed his irate leader, grunting slightly as he rapidly pressed out another command, "I'm going through all the cameras in the tower, but I'm not seeing him anywhere."

To anyone watching, it would look as though he were searching zealously throughout the tower for his missing teammate.

To anyone who could see the screen, it would look as though he were playing the original Mega Monkeys, utilizing his built in super-computer in order to emulate the classic game.

"This is the third time this week he's been late!" Robin growled, his eyes darting towards the calendar on the wall. "And it's only Wednesday!"

"Maybe he just thinks you work us too hard?" Raven offered, her face a mask of complete disinterest as Robin turned to glare at her.

"We're here to protect this city, training every day is essen-"

"I'm here!" Beast Boy called, finally managing to slip his arms through the sleeves of his uniform as he skidded into the gym. "I'm here! What'd I miss?"

"Nothing. At all." Cyborg interjected hastily, shutting off his game as Robin's face began to redden with anger. "In fact, you're just in time. Let's start!"

Ignoring Robin's spluttering, which had become almost second nature to him, Beast Boy began walking towards the treadmill, making sure to wish a good morning to each Titan as he passed. Pretending he didn't hear Raven's comment of "It'd be better if we weren't in here," Beast Boy climbed on to the treadmill, a single hand reaching towards the control panel on the front.

Before he could make contact with any of the buttons, the alarm began blaring, the gym being bathed in a chilling red glow.

"Trouble!? It's seven in the morning! Who creates a ruckus when it should already be illegal to be awake!?" Cyborg complained loudly, grunting as he heaved his specially designed, ludicrously large weights back into their normal position.

Robin pulled his communicator out of his utility belt, flipping the screen open with a single flick of his wrist.

"It doesn't say. But that doesn't matter."

Robin tucked the yellow device back into the abyss of technology around his waist, already turning to face his team. Removing the boxing gloves from his wrists, he raised a single hand to the sky, one finger ascending above all the rest.

"Titans, GO!"

**XxX**

And yeah. Told you it was a little shorter than average.

That's what she said.

Nothing really to add here, other than this story has averaged ten followers per chapter. And considering romance isn't one of the listed genres, and there won't be much of it until much later?

That's a lot of followers for (technically) four chapters. I seriously appreciate all of you who read this.

Alright, I've a headache so I'll be heading out now. Leave a review, my precious X-Dressers! I love the feedback.

Peace!

_**X**_


	6. Chapter 5 - Mistaken Malevolence

Bonjour, chers lecteurs!

Took me a while to get this chapter out to the general public, I apologise greatly. This story has been giving me hell recently, which is also why I apologise for the short length.

I'm so sick and tired of apologising for my short length.

Oh yeah, at the moment I'm actually accepting prompts to write into one-shots, which you probably already know if you've read The EX Files. I've got a poll up on my profile for the next prompt that will be written, and any votes are appreciated.

You can also leave me a prompt. It's alright; I don't bite…unless you want me to.

Alright, this is getting creepy. Let's just get to the chapter, shall we?

**Disclaimer: TT no own by me.**

**XxX**

_Chapter five – Mistaken Malevolence_

"You are _unsure_ of their abilities!?"

Deep within the confines of an abandoned warehouse in downtown Jump City, two men stood at opposite ends, each glaring at the other with rivalled amounts of contempt.

"Now now." The masked man chided, shaking his head at the other occupant of the depository much like one would a disobedient child. "I have the utmost faith that your _operatives_ will encounter no issues during the accomplishment of _my_ goals."

"You're sending three children to do battle with the Teen Titans!" The other man yelled accusingly, his hood slipping slightly from his head. One eye blazing a dangerous shade of red from the shadows provided by his attire, he took a single step forward, hands clenched at his sides.

"Yes." The masked man replied, his single remaining eye never leaving the agitated form of the man facing him. "Surely you believe they are capable of success?"

"You realise what this will do to my reputation should they fail, yes?"

"Be calm, Brother." The masked wearing man sighed, his companion flinching slightly at the use of the name, "the task I have had them do is very simple. I've no doubt that even your subpar lackeys will be able to fulfil my… request."

"They are students, not lackeys!" The hooded man snapped, his arm beginning to transform under his sleeve. His hand folded back, the gears in his arm spinning rapidly as piece after piece of technology moved into place. Bringing his newly formed sonic cannon up, the masked man looked on, seemingly unimpressed by the display.

"Your request could very well be leading them towards an early grave!" the hooded man accused menacingly, the single red eye beginning to glow even brighter as energy gathered at the tip of his arm.

"You know as well as I that the Teen Titans don't tend to kill their enemies." The masked man stated coolly, his single remaining eye never leaving the threatening limb.

"Leaving them alive is a far worse punishment." The hooded man yelled, his arm beginning to emit a high pitched hum. "You don't seem to understand how things work!"

"At ease, old man." The masked man almost sighed, his hand slowly making his way down his belt, unbeknownst to his associate. "The world is slightly more modern than that these days. Maybe you are simply past your prime?"

The hooded man growled, taking another step forward as the masked man extracted a small piece of metal from his belt. With a flick of his wrist, the retractable pieces of hard alloy leapt from their hold, the man swinging the collapsible staff into a defensive position.

"I'm not that old." The hooded man snarled, bringing his clawed hand up to rest on his arm, steadying the limb as he levelled the weapon towards the masked man's face.

"You're going to shoot me?" The masked man inquired, his voice carrying his amusement as the staff slumped slightly in his grasp. A hearty laugh escaped his lips as he slammed his staff to the ground, the end easily penetrating through the concrete that covered the floor of the warehouse.

The hooded man didn't bothering answering; with a roar of fury, a red beam of pure sound was flying through the air, the full force of the attack on a collision course with the masked man's face.

The force of the impact kicked dust from the ground, the hood of the malicious mechanical man flying from his cranium as he squinted through the light of the miniature explosion.

"Is that the extent of _your_ abilities?"

The once hooded man's eye widened, the sickeningly smooth voice almost burning his ear as he turned towards the sound. Before he could make a full rotation, a long staff had jabbed into his back, high voltage electricity coursing directly through it, into the man's metallic body.

The once hooded man screamed in pain, his arm transforming back from the sonic cannon. Dropping to his knees, the staff left the once hooded man's back, various parts of his body emitting putrid black smoke as blazing red portions of his limbs began to dull down to a lifeless grey.

"Pick your battles, old timer." The sickly charismatic man sneered, folding his staff back into the belt around his waist. "We may have been forbidden from fighting, but I will not hold back the next time you attack me."

The once hooded man growled in annoyance, waving the smoke away as he shakily pulled himself to his feet.

"Now then." The masked man stated, acting as though nothing had happened. "Have you completed your secondary objective?"

The once hooded man glared at the masked man with unhidden contempt, his mouth spitting out words, as though leaving a vile aftertaste. "Yes. The girl's mind was twisted, yet incredibly easy to control. She will make for a perfect slave."

"Excellent." The masked man cheered sardonically, clapping his hands together as he turned away from the once hooded man. "For now, the plans do not require her. Perhaps you should keep her for now? She may make for an excellent student at your academy. She'd fit right in; having been brainwashed into believing that you are a person worthy of respect."

"You're too gracious." The once hooded man snarled sarcastically, his body beginning to regain its signature crimson glow. "And what of your more personal plans? How do my students fit into those?"

"All in due time, headmaster." The masked man chuckled, turning his back on the glowing man as he made his way towards the large doors of the warehouse. "You could really stand to open some of the curtains in here, Mr Blood. After all, you could use a little sunlight."

Brother Blood grunted, turning away from the man, towards the assortment of computers that had been set up for him within the temporary hideout.

No matter how long he would be forced to work with the masked assassin, he would never get used to his constant shifting moods.

Damn bipolar bastard.

The loud slam of the warehouse door awoke Blood from his daydream, the absence of another person confirming that the masked man had left.

With an irritated sigh, Blood made his way to the various computers set up against a wall of the warehouse, each screen showing a different security camera's perspective. Settling himself within the padded chair in front of the largest monitor, his body was bathed in the eerie pale glow of the machinery as he began typing.

**XxX**

"You brick brained moron!"

"What did I do?"

"What did you do!?" Gizmo shrieked, his annoying voice reaching octaves generally not within the boundaries of his gender. "We've been setting up this ambush for those crud munchin' Titans for the last three hours, and you set off an alarm!"

"I was hungry!" Mammoth defended, subconsciously hiding the sandwich he'd pilfered from a nearby gas station behind his back.

"You had five servings at breakfast!" Gizmo yelled, four mechanical legs bursting from his backpack. Raising himself to Mammoth's eye level, Gizmo poked him once in the cheek, his face red from over-exertion of breath.

"You know how long it took for me to hack those cameras?" Gizmo whispered… 'dangerously'.

"Should I?" Mammoth retorted, bringing his newly acquired meal out from behind his back.

"What's going on here?"

Alarmed, Gizmo whirled around, almost slamming a metallic spider leg straight into the side of his third teammate's head.

"Gah! Don't do that!"

"I'll do as I please." Jinx replied, straightening up from ducking under the offending limb. "What's that noise?"

"This moron," Gizmo growled squeakily, gesturing towards Mammoth, "set off an alarm when he decided to get a snack."

"Ugh, seriously?" Jinx groaned, turning to face Mammoth, who at least had the decency to stop chewing as his teammate addressed him.

"I was hungry!"

Wiping the spray of crumbs from her face, Jinx sighed, turning towards the less stupid of her colleagues.

"Is there a way for you to turn the alarm off?"

"Yeah, but the Titans will still be on their way." Gizmo announced, hands returning to the odd remote that never left the front of his jumpsuit. With a click of one of the button available on the device, the grating whine emanating from the now abandoned gas station halted, the street becoming silent once more.

"How long do you reckon we have?" Jinx inquired, throwing a cautionary glance over her shoulder.

"Freeze!"

"Not very long, apparently." Gizmo quipped, turning along with his allies to face the just recently arrived super heroic quintet, Robin shutting off the engine of his motorcycle as he leapt from the seat.

**XxX**

_'I can't wait until Cy gets around to building the T-Car.'_ Beast Boy complained silently to himself, doing his best to ignore the consistent thrum of Robin's motorcycle below him. The green boy had elected to take the form of a bald eagle, joining the girls as they took to the skies, along with Cyborg, whom was currently being carried by Starfire.

Movement caught the edge of the green bald eagle's eye, causing him to turn his focus to the right. Utilising the animal's excellent sense of sight, Beast Boy could easily make out three bodies, two of which appeared to be conversing whilst the largest stood off slightly to the side.

_'Well this'll be easy.'_ Beast Boy lamented, resisting the urge to roll his avian eyes. _'Here I was expecting a challenge, and it turns out we're going up against The H.I.V.E.'_

"Titans." Robin's voice came through the communicator concealed within the confines of Starfire's short skirt, easily audible for all, even above the rushing winds. "They're going to be around this next corner, so everyone get ready!"

"We shall, friend Robin!" Starfire declared, whilst below her Cyborg's arm rapidly shifted into his infamous sonic cannon.

"Good." Robin grunted, severing the connection as he accelerated around the last obstacle between his team and the threat to his city.

Picking up speed, the rest of the Titans began descending, passing the corner just in time to hear Robin announcing their arrival, complete with an unnecessary gymnastics routine.

"There goes stealth." Raven muttered to herself, Beast Boy giving the equivalent to a laugh in response. Swooping down to the ground, Beast Boy transformed, his wings morphing into muscular legs, the talons of his feet growing into feral claws as fur burst from every inch of green skin. Beside him, Cyborg landed on both feet, his impact leaving small indents as he levelled his signature weapon at the opposing youths.

"This is your only chance to come quietly." Robin warned, crouching low as he pulled an explosive disc from the abyss of technology that was his utility belt. Beside him, Starfire's hands lit up with green energy, whilst ebony magic began dancing around Raven's fists.

"Not a chance, Boy Blunder!" Gizmo declared, a large cannon appearing in his hands as though from thin air. Without wasting any time to charge, a bright beam erupted from the tip of the weapon, chunks of concrete being ripped from the ground as the offensive energy barrelled across the street, directly towards the black shield that Raven had erected.

"Attack pattern Alpha!" Jinx ordered, leaping quickly to the side. Mammoth copied her actions, leaving Gizmo alone where they once stood.

Mechanical legs retracting into his backpack, Gizmo hit a button on his ever present remote, wings bursting from the confines of his titanium treasury. Activating the boosters on his device, he shot forth like a bullet, hordes of small energy blasts flying from the specialised firearm attached to the fun-sized villains forearm.

"Titans, dodge!" Robin ordered rather unnecessarily, leaping to the left. Morphing from lion to hummingbird, Beast Boy took to the skies alongside Raven, leaving Cyborg and Starfire to dive to the right.

"Bad choice." Mammoth grunted from behind the super strong duo, causing both Cyborg and Starfire to whirl around. Before either of them could act, Mammoth lashed out, catching them both across the stomach with a single leg. The force behind the hit sent both Titans flying, Starfire righting herself in mid-air, managing to catch Cyborg before he crashed into the side of a building.

"Damn it!" Robin muttered under his breath, dodging around a pink hex bolt as he eyed the injured forms of his teammates. Lashing out once again with his staff, Robin deflected Jinx's latest attack, doing his best to ignore the various explosions going off above his head as Raven and Beast Boy evaded missile after missile.

"Having trouble?" Jinx mocked, cartwheeling away as Robin pulled an explosive disc from his belt. "Mammoth, now!

"Let's see if the Birdie can fly." A gruff voice behind Robin announced. Whirling around, Robin brought his staff up, just in time to feel the impact of Mammoth's fist directly against his stomach.

The power behind the blow forced Robin's feet from the ground, the Boy Wonder flying across the entirety of the street before slamming harshly into an already partially crumbling building.

"Dude!" Beast Boy called out, briefly reverting back to human form as he neared the ground. Landing on all fours, he leapt quickly to the side, dodging around the rocket that had been aimed directly at his back as he made his way towards his injured friend.

_'We're facing The H.I.V.E here, right? Shouldn't we have already won by now?'_

"Friend Robin!" Starfire called from the air, changing directions rather suddenly as she began swooping down towards the ground.

"Worried about your boyfriend?" Gizmo sneered, darting in front of Starfire as she neared the planet's surface.

Starfire halted her advance, her eyes lighting up a nuclear shade of green as she stabbed the air in the little person's direction with her finger.

"You are not nice!" Starfire roared, a starbolt forming in her hand as she glared at the smirking mini-villain. "Please remove yourself from my path, or I shall make you!"

"Oooh, touchy." Gizmo cackled, his large cannon once again in his hands. Before Starfire could even think to react, the bright beam had caught her directly in the face, the starbolt in her hand dissipating as she began to plummet back down to Earth.

"There goes another one." Jinx observed, her cat like eyes flashing pink as a wicked smirk adorned her features. "I thought you Titans would be tougher than this!"

"We are." Raven said dryly, sending another car flying towards the other pale sorceress. Behind her, Beast Boy leapt over another of Mammoth's wild swings, Cyborg having been forced from the battle by a wildly thrown hex bolt, which had almost decimated both his arm and leg on impact.

"Doesn't seem like it." Jinx laughed, cartwheeling to the side as the car dented the street where she once stood. "Mammoth, again!"

"Not this time!" Beast Boy snarled, shifting into a gorilla as Mammoth let a fist fly directly towards Raven's head. Growling ferociously, the green ape wrapped both arms around the large teenagers waist, forcing him away from his teammate as he stumbled backwards.

"Let me go, you stupid monkey!" Mammoth growled, struggling against the iron-grip of the green furred animal.

_'I'm an ape, not a monkey, dipshit. And he called me stupid.'_

Beast Boy growled, his arms tightening around the criminal in his grip.

If it were anyone else, he'd probably have broken at least a few ribs by now.

"Oi, Gizmo!" Mammoth roared, swiping blindly behind his back as the green animal continued to subdue him. "I could use some help here!"

"Stop thrashing!" Gizmo called, his cannon aimed towards the back of Beast Boy's head. For the third time in the last five minutes, a bright beam burst forth from the weapon, the air surrounding them seeming to hum with energy.

A grin slowly spread across Beast Boy's face as he allowed his arms to drop to his sides, his body shrinking down into that of ferret. The bright beam of energy passed harmlessly over his head, sending Mammoth tumbling to the ground as the beam connected with his spine.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one?" Beast Boy taunted as he resumed his human form, grinning up at Gizmo's shocked face.

"Says the idiot who just turned his back on an enemy."

Alarmed, Beast Boy spun around, only to be met with Mammoth's oversized boot. The blow caught Beast Boy in the chin, his head snapping back as he was sent flying across the street. Crashing headfirst into a billboard, Beast Boy passed painfully through the oversized advertisement, leaving a large hole in the space a man's head should have been.

Slamming harshly in the side of a building, Beast Boy cracked one eye open, his current position leaving him nothing to look at, other than the sky and the recently destroyed billboard. The rest of the man's body was covered in bandages, with block letters reading 'HEALTH INSURANCE' situated directly beside the handles of the wheelchair the unfortunate soul was trapped in.

_'Oh, the irony.'_

Struggling to his feet, Beast Boy looked up, his neck cracking painfully as the bone clicked back into place. Forcing his legs underneath himself, his sights set on the flying form of Raven, her cloak smoking slightly as the landed in a heap near the rest of the Titans.

"That wasn't that hard." Mammoth commented, turning to his two smirking teammates. "Didn't he say this would be a bit more difficult?"

"Yeah." Gizmo agreed, pulling the large cannon from his backpack once again. "This thing is awesome! And I even get to keep it, how cool it that?"

"We've got a job to finish, guys." Jinx reminded them, turning to face the injured Titans. Grinning maliciously, Jinx brought a single hand to her face, pink energy beginning to spark from her fingers like electricity. Beside her, Gizmo had his cannon pointed at the ground in front of himself, a grin mirroring her own plastered across his face. Mammoth cracked his knuckles, a slight laugh escaping his lips as he stared down his prey.

"Like hell."

"Oh?" Jinx raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways at the snarling green teenager. "You're still awake?"

"Nah, sleepwalking." Beast Boy spat, ignoring the pain in his chin as he lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"You reckon you can take us all on?" Gizmo scoffed, turning away from the Titans, all of whom were staring wide-eyed at Beast Boy.

"You'll just have to find out the hard way." Beast Boy growled, his eyes flickering over to his teammates for a brief second, before returning to those of his foes.

"Your funeral." Jinx shrugged, conjuring a large hex bolt in one hand. "Gizmo, let's do it!"

"Ha, looks like the pet is gonna be the first one down." Gizmo smirked, training his weapon on the street in front of Beast Boy's feet. "Fine by me."

Without a word, Mammoth leapt high into the air, Gizmo firing his ruinous cannon barely a second later. The blood red beam hit home, several cracks spreading across the street as the energy entered the tarmac.

Clapping her hands, Jinx threw her arms wide, waves of pink hex bolts shooting forward. Entering the road in front of her, the magic quickly went to work, the ground rapidly loosening as the destructive energy separated the molecules from one another.

"Hope you like it rough!" Mammoth yelled gleefully, his bulky form crashing devastatingly into the already wrecked street. Bringing both arms forward, he slammed both fists into the ground, layers of asphalt and soil crumbling to rubble as the massive shockwaves spread across the land. Beast Boy brought both arms up, his already exhausted body easily succumbing to the raw power of the wind slamming against him. Dropping to his knees, he didn't so much as move as the ground below him finally gave way, sending him plummeting to the murky waters below.

"BB!" Cyborg yelled, attempting to struggle to his feet, only to have his injured leg give way, sending him crashing back to the ground. Beside him, Raven gasped, her eyes widening along with Robin's. Starfire, the cannon's beam having temporarily robbed her of her sight, looked around in confusion, her many question falling on deaf ears.

"Raven." Robin gasped out, hand still over where Mammoth's fist had connected with him. "Can you teleport us back to the tower?"

"We're not running away!" Cyborg yelled vehemently, still trying to force his mechanical body to function as though half his limbs weren't almost completely destroyed. Beside him, Starfire laid a single hand on his metallic shoulder, tears leaking from eyes that couldn't observe the situation.

"We don't have a choice, Cyborg." Robin rasped, wincing as he sat up slightly. "We can't win in this condition, and they haven't stolen anything. We're their target, and something tells me they don't want us just knocked out. We need to regroup."

"What about BB?" Cyborg demanded, shrugging Starfire's hand off his shoulder as he glared at his leader. "What are we going to do about BB?"

"Beast Boy will be fine." Robin said, giving Cyborg a look that dared him to prove him wrong. "I don't think that's enough to take him out, and neither do you. Raven, now!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Jinx announced, her hex bolts already flying through the air.

It was already too late; The Titans had all disappeared into the ground, the only thing left behind being Robin's signature metal staff, which lay forgotten beside the destroyed portion of building.

Gizmo lowered his cannon, disappointment written all over his face. "Damn it. Now what are we supposed to do?"

"I'm thinking lunch?" Mammoth offered, his proposal going completely ignored as Gizmo turned to the third member of his team.

"What are you looking at?"

Jinx didn't answer, her eyes remaining locked on a structure in the distance. As her partners watched on, a smile slowly crept its way onto her face, her eyes seeming to sparkle in the early morning sun.

"We've still got a job to do."

"Huh?" Gizmo grunted, his mechanical spider legs unfolding from his backpack. "What are you talking about?"

Raising a hand, Jinx pointed out towards the ocean, determination lighting a fire within her eyes. "We've still got a job to complete, if we want to be hired for real."

Confused, Gizmo descended to his teammate's height, following her finger with a sceptical look, which had soon morphed into a malicious smile.

"We're talking about that?"

"Yep." Jinx confirmed, a smile gracing her lips as a hex bolt sparked to life in her palm.

"Titans Tower."

**XxX**

Alright, I'll say now this chapter was so bloody forced. Reading through it again, I absolutely hate it, but I'm not rewriting it.

I'll knock two questions that I'll no doubt get out of the way right now, so here goes.

Why did Beast Boy not completely destroy The H.I.V.E? He wasn't taking them seriously, giving them the element of surprise. This also relates to the second question I'll get, which is why was The H.I.V.E so violent and so focused on ending the Titans lives?

I tried to keep the characters close to the cartoon, which basically means writing The H.I.V.E gives me nothing but three blank slates, all of which have violent natures due to their work. In their first episode, they have no personality, basically the only thing distinguishing them is their powers. Other than that, they're pretty much identical. No character development what-so-ever. They were doing a job, and that job was killing the Titans. They were more or less child assassins.

The next chapter is already planned out, but given how difficult writing has been lately I can't promise when I'll get it out. Once again, I apologise for this chapter being so utterly bad at everything, but right now it's the best I can do.

Also a special thanks to CheeseJellyBean for giving me a hand with this chapter, albeit unknowingly. A few of the comments you made were actually very useful, so…uh…yeah. Thanks.

Check out her?…his?…their story as well, which is titled 'Getting Greener'. It's an excellent fic, and it focuses on Beast Boy just like this one. Personally I think it's better than this story, but this ain't a competition!

Mostly 'cos I know I'd lose.

Alright, thank you for reading, my glorious X-Dressers! Till next chapter!

Peace!

_**X**_


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